Page 162 - The Dinosaur Book and Other Wonders of the Prehistoric World (DK-Smithsonian)
P. 162
Early marine
reptiles Unusually, this broad-mouthed
reptile seems to have been a
herbivore that fed on seaweed,
The marine world Guanlingsaurus with very powerful jaws, like the
like a modern marine iguana.
The head was long and flat
head of a modern crocodile.
The long teeth
interlocked to trap
fish and other
Like all ichthyosaurs, slippery prey.
Guanlingsaurus had a
sleek, fishlike body adapted
for speed through the water.
Nothosaurus
probably came
ashore to give
birth on
beaches, like
a seal. Henodus
Henodus had
a protective shell
made of plates
of bone.
The fish and other sea animals that lived Triassic Period, and rapidly evolved a variety
during the time of the dinosaurs were of adaptations for eating different kinds of
preyed on by reptiles that were specially food. Four-legged placodonts like Placodus
adapted for life in the oceans. These searched the seabed for hard-shelled clams
reptiles started becoming common in and similar shellfish, and other reptiles
160 the ocean about 245 million years ago, in the including Atopodentatus grazed on seaweed.
US_160-161_Early_marine_reptiles.indd 160 10/04/18 3:35 PM
