brackish
Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estu ...
environments.
Extant
The following marine reptiles are species which are currently extant or recently extinct.
Crocodiles
Crocodiles (family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant memb ...
Crocodylus porosus
The saltwater crocodile (''Crocodylus porosus'') is a crocodilian native to saltwater habitats and brackish wetlands from India's east coast across Southeast Asia and the Sundaic region to northern Australia and Micronesia. It has been listed ...
Iguanidae
The Iguanidae is a family of lizards composed of the iguanas, chuckwallas, and their prehistoric relatives, including the widespread green iguana.
Taxonomy
Iguanidae is thought to be the sister group to the collared lizards (family Crotaph ...
::*''
Amblyrhynchus
The marine iguana (''Amblyrhynchus cristatus''), also known as the sea iguana, saltwater iguana, or Galápagos marine iguana, is a species of Iguanidae, iguana found only on the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador). Unique among modern lizards, it is a m ...
Varanidae
The Varanidae are a family of lizards in the superfamily Varanoidea within the Anguimorpha group. The family, a group of carnivorous and frugivorous lizards, includes the living genus '' Varanus'' and a number of extinct genera more closely rel ...
Varanus indicus
The mangrove monitor, mangrove goanna, or Western Pacific monitor lizard (''Varanus indicus'') is a member of the monitor lizard family with a large distribution from northern Australia and New Guinea to the Moluccas and Solomon Islands. It grows ...
Acrochordidae
The Acrochordidae, commonly known as wart snakes, Java wart snakes, file snakes, elephant trunk snakes, or dogface snakes are a monogeneric family created for the genus ''Acrochordus''. This is a group of basal aquatic snakes found in Australia a ...
Acrochordus arafurae
:''Common names: Arafura File snake, Elephant Trunk Snake or wrinkle file snake.''
''Acrochordus arafurae'' is an aquatic snake species found in northern Australia and New Guinea. No subspecies are currently recognized.
This snake was first desc ...
Dipsadinae
Dipsadinae is a large subfamily of colubroid snakes, sometimes referred to as a family (Dipsadidae). They are found in most of the Americas, including the West Indies, and are most diverse in South America. There are more than 700 species.
Dips ...
Hydrops triangularis
''Hydrops triangularis'', commonly known as the water false coral snake, triangle water snake, triangle watersnake, or water coral, is a species of snake endemic to northern South America and the Amazon Basin.
Geographic range
''Hydrops triangul ...
''
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Leptodeira
''Leptodeira'' is a genus of colubrid snakes commonly referred to as cat-eyed snakes. The genus consists of 17 species that are native to primarily Mexico and Central America, but range as far north as the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas in Uni ...
Bitia hydroides
The keel-bellied water snake (''Bitia hydroides'') is a marine homalopsine snake. It belongs to the monotypic genus ''Bitia''.
Geographic range
It is found in Malaysia.
Dentition
''Bitia hydroides'' is noted for its unusual dentition. In all ...
'' (Keel-bellied water snake)
::*'' Cantoria violacea'' (Cantor's water snake)
::*''
Cerberus
In Greek mythology, Cerberus (; grc-gre, Κέρβερος ''Kérberos'' ), often referred to as the hound of Hades, is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. He was the offspring of the ...
Cerberus dunsoni
In Greek mythology, Cerberus (; grc-gre, Κέρβερος ''Kérberos'' ), often referred to as the hound of Hades, is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. He was the offspring of the m ...
''
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Cerberus microlepis
In Greek mythology, Cerberus (; grc-gre, Κέρβερος ''Kérberos'' ), often referred to as the hound of Hades, is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. He was the offspring of the m ...
''
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Cerberus rynchops
''Cerberus rynchops'', also known as the New Guinea bockadam, South Asian bockadam, bockadam snake, or dog-faced water snake, is a mildly venomous species of a snake in the family Homalopsidae. It is native to coastal waters of South and South ...
''
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Cerberus schneiderii
In Greek mythology, Cerberus (; grc-gre, Κέρβερος ''Kérberos'' ), often referred to as the hound of Hades, is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. He was the offspring of the mo ...
Myron
Myron of Eleutherae ( grc, Μύρων, ''Myrōn'' ), working c. 480–440 BC, was an Athenian sculptor from the mid-5th century BC. He was born in Eleutherae on the borders of Boeotia and Attica. According to Pliny's '' Natural History'', Agela ...
Hydrophiinae
Hydrophiinae is a subfamily of venomous snakes in the family Elapidae. It contains most sea snakes and many genera of venomous land snakes found in Australasia, such as the taipans (''Oxyuranus''), tiger snakes (''Notechis''), brown snakes (' ...
(Sea snakes)
::*''
Aipysurus
''Aipysurus'' is a genus of venomous snakes in the subfamily Hydrophiinae of the family Elapidae. Member species of the genus are found in warm seas from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
Taxonomy
The first description of the genus ''A ...
Disteira major
The olive-headed sea snake (''Hydrophis major''), also known as the greater sea snake, is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae.
Geographic range
It is found in the eastern Indian and western central Pacific Ocean in the waters ...
Disteira walli
''Hydrophis nigrocinctus'' is a species of marine venomous snakes in the family Elapidae (Hydrophiinae-sea snake).
Habitat
This species is found in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal: Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka and ...
Hydrophis belcheri
''Hydrophis belcheri'', commonly known as the faint-banded sea snake or Belcher's sea snake, is an extremely venomous species of elapid sea snake. It has a timid temperament and would normally have to be subjected to severe mistreatment before ...
Hydrophis bituberculatus
''Hydrophis bituberculatus'', commonly known as Peters' Sea Snake, is a species of venomous elapid.
It is found in the Indian Ocean (Sri Lanka, Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thaila ...
'' (Peters' sea snake)
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Hydrophis brooki
''Hydrophis brookii'' is a species of venomous sea snake in the subfamily Hydrophiinae of the family Elapidae. The species is native to bodies of water in Southeast Asia.
Etymology
The specific name, ''brookii'', is in honor of British adventu ...
''
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Hydrophis caerulescens
''Hydrophis caerulescens'', commonly known as the dwarf sea snake, is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae.
Geographic range
Indian Ocean (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, W Indonesia, Malaysia), Coasts ...
Hydrophis cyanocinctus
''Hydrophis cyanocinctus'', commonly called the annulated sea snake or the blue-banded sea snake, is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae.
Description
Head moderate. Diameter of eye less than its distance from the mouth in the ...
Hydrophis lapemoides
''Hydrophis lapemoides'' is a species of snake in the family Elapidae known commonly as the Persian Gulf sea snake.Hydrophis mamillaris
''Hydrophis mamillaris'', sometimes referred to as the Bombay sea snake or broad-banded sea snake is a species of venomous sea snake native to the Indian Ocean. It is a poorly studied and surveyed species, with few records and a dubious type spec ...
Hydrophis ornatus
''Hydrophis ornatus'', commonly known as the ornate reef sea snake, is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae.
Distribution
This snake-species is found to occur in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cambodia, C ...
Hydrophis spiralis
''Hydrophis spiralis'', commonly known as the yellow sea snake, is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae.
Description
This is perhaps the longest species of sea-snake, measuring up to ; however, most specimens do not exceed 2.0 ...
'' (Yellow sea snake)
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Hydrophis stricticollis
''Hydrophis stricticollis'', commonly called the collared sea snake, is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae.
Description
Scales on thickest part of body subquadrangular or hexagonal in shape, feebly imbricate or juxtaposed; 8- ...
Kerilia jerdonii
Jerdon's sea snake (''Hydrophis jerdonii'' ; ''Distira jerdonii'' or ''Kerilia jerdonii'') is a species of venomous sea snake in the subfamily Hydrophiinae.
Etymology
The specific name, ''jerdonii'', is in honor of British zoologist Thomas C. ...
'' (Jerdon's sea snake)
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Kolpophis annandalei
''Hydrophis annandalei'', commonly known as Annandale's sea snake or the bighead sea snake, is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Hydrophiinae of the family Elapidae. The species, which is sometimes placed in its own genus ''Kolpophis' ...
Lapemis hardwickii
The spine-bellied sea snake (''Hydrophis hardwickii''), also commonly known as Hardwicke's sea snake and Hardwicke's spine-bellied sea snake, is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae.
Etymology
The specific name, ''hardwickii'' ...
'' (Hardwicke's spine-bellied sea snake)
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Laticauda
Sea kraits are a genus of venomous elapid sea snakes (subfamily: Laticaudinae), ''Laticauda''. They are semiaquatic, and retain the wide ventral scales typical of terrestrial snakes for moving on land, but also have paddle-shaped tails for swimmi ...
''
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Laticauda colubrina
The yellow-lipped sea krait (''Laticauda colubrina''), also known as the banded sea krait or colubrine sea krait, is a species of venomous sea snake found in tropical Indo-Pacific oceanic waters. The snake has distinctive black stripes and a yel ...
Laticauda laticaudata
The blue-lipped sea krait (''Laticauda laticaudata''), also known as the blue-banded sea krait or common sea krait, is a species of venomous sea snake in the subfamily Laticaudinae of the family Elapidae. It is found in the Indian and Western Pa ...
Thalassophis anomalus
The anomalous sea snake (''Hydrophis anomalus'') is a species of sea snake
Sea snakes, or coral reef snakes, are elapid snakes that inhabit marine environments for most or all of their lives. They belong to two subfamilies, Hydrophiinae and ...
'' (Anomalous sea snake)
Sea turtle
Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...
Dermochelys coriacea
The leatherback sea turtle (''Dermochelys coriacea''), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to and weights ...
'' (leatherback sea turtle)
:*
Cheloniidae
Cheloniidae is a family of typically large marine turtles that are characterised by their common traits such as, having a flat streamlined wide and rounded shell and almost paddle-like flippers for their forelimbs. They are the only sea turtles t ...
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Caretta caretta
The loggerhead sea turtle (''Caretta caretta'') is a species of oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around in carapace length when fully ...
'' (Loggerhead sea turtle)
::''
Lepidochelys kempii
Kemp's ridley sea turtle (''Lepidochelys kempii''), also called the Atlantic ridley sea turtle, is the rarest species of sea turtle and is the world's most endangered species of sea turtle. It is one of two living species in the genus '' Lepido ...
'' (Kemp's ridley)
::''
Lepidochelys olivacea
The olive ridley sea turtle (''Lepidochelys olivacea''), also known commonly as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. The species is the second-smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in t ...
'' (Olive ridley)
::''
Chelonia mydas
The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...
'' (Green sea turtle)
::''
Eretmochelys imbricata
The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution, that is large ...
'' (Hawksbill sea turtle)
::''
Natator depressus
The Australian flatback sea turtle (''Natator depressus'') is a species of sea turtle in the family Cheloniidae. The species is endemic to the sandy beaches and shallow coastal waters of the Australian continental shelf. This turtle gets its ...
'' (Flatback sea turtle)
Extinct
From the
Permian
The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last ...
to the present day there have been numerous groups of extinct reptiles that adapted to life in the marine realm:
Mesosaur
Mesosaurs ("middle lizards") were a group of small aquatic reptiles that lived during the early Permian period, roughly 299 to 270 million years ago. Mesosaurs were the first known aquatic reptiles, having apparently returned to an aquatic life ...
Mesosaurus
''Mesosaurus'' (meaning "middle lizard") is an extinct genus of reptile from the Cisuralian, Early Permian of southern Africa and South America. Along with it, the genera ''Brazilosaurus'' and ''Stereosternum'', it is a member of the family (bio ...
''
Phytosaurs
Phytosaurs (Φυτόσαυροι in greek) are an extinct group of large, mostly semiaquatic Late Triassic archosauriform reptiles. Phytosaurs belong to the order Phytosauria. Phytosauria and Phytosauridae are often considered to be equivalen ...
Squamates
Squamata (, Latin ''squamatus'', 'scaly, having scales') is the largest order of reptiles, comprising lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians (worm lizards), which are collectively known as squamates or scaled reptiles. With over 10,900 species, it ...
*Dolichosauridae: Late Cretaceous
:'' Adriosaurus''
:''
Dolichosaurus
''Dolichosaurus'' (meaning "long lizard") is an extinct genus of marine squamate of the Upper Cretaceous Cenomanian chalk deposits of England. Sister-group relationships between coniasaurs, dolichosaurs, Aigialosauridae and Mosasauridae are ...
Aigialosauridae
Aigialosauridae (from Greek, ''aigialos'' = "seashore" and ''sauros''= lizard) is a family of Late Cretaceous semiaquatic pythonomorph lizards closely related to the mosasaurs. Regarded by some paleontologists as a distinct monophyletic group ...
Mosasaurinae
The Mosasaurinae are a subfamily of mosasaurs, a diverse group of Late Cretaceous marine squamates. Members of the subfamily are informally and collectively known as "mosasaurines" and their fossils have been recovered from every continent excep ...
:::''
Carinodens
''Carinodens'' is an extinct genus of Cretaceous marine lizard belonging to the mosasaur family. "''Carinodens''" means "keel teeth" and was named in 1969 as a replacement name for ''Compressidens'', "compressed teeth", which was already in use ...
''
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Clidastes
''Clidastes'' is an extinct genus of marine lizard belonging to the mosasaur family. It is classified as part of the Mosasaurinae subfamily, alongside genera like ''Mosasaurus'' and ''Prognathodon''. ''Clidastes'' is known from deposits ranging i ...
''
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Dallasaurus
''Dallasaurus'' ("Dallas lizard") is a basal mosasauroid from the Upper Cretaceous of North America. Along with ''Russellosaurus'', ''Dallasaurus'' is one of the two oldest mosasauroid taxa currently known from North America. It is also the small ...
''
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Globidens
''Globidens'' ("Globe teeth") is an extinct genus of mosasaur lizard classified as part of the Globidensini tribe in the Mosasaurinae subfamily.
''Globidens alabamaensis'' was the first species of ''Globidens'' described, in a publication b ...
''
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Mosasaurus
''Mosasaurus'' (; "lizard of the Meuse River") is the type genus (defining example) of the mosasaurs, an extinct group of aquatic squamate reptiles. It lived from about 82 to 66 million years ago during the Campanian and Maastrichtian sta ...
''
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Plotosaurus
''Plotosaurus'' ("swimmer lizard") is an extinct genus of mosasaur from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Fresno County, California. Originally named ''Kolposaurus'' (meaning "bay lizard") by Berkeley paleontologist Charles Lewis Camp in 19 ...
''
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Prognathodon
''Prognathodon'' is an extinct genus of marine lizard belonging to the mosasaur family. It is classified as part of the Mosasaurinae subfamily, alongside genera like ''Mosasaurus'' and ''Clidastes''. ''Prognathodon'' has been recovered from depo ...
''
::*
Halisaurinae
The Halisaurinae are a subfamily of mosasaurs, a group of Late Cretaceous marine lizards. They were small to medium-sized, ranging from just under 3 meters in ''Eonatator sternbergi'' to as much as 8 or 9 meters in ''Pluridens serpentis''. ...
:::''
Eonatator
''Eonatator'' is an extinct genus of marine lizard belonging to the mosasaur family. It is a close relative of ''Halisaurus'', and part of the same subfamily, the Halisaurinae. It is known from the Late Cretaceous of North America, Colombia and S ...
''
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Halisaurus
''Halisaurus'' is an extinct genus of marine reptile belonging to the mosasaur family. The holotype, consisting of an angular and a basicranium fragment discovered near Hornerstown, New Jersey, already revealed a relatively unique combination ...
''
::*
Tylosaurinae
The Tylosaurinae are a subfamily of mosasaurs,Williston, S. W. 1897. Range and distribution of the mosasaurs with remarks on synonymy. ''Kansas University Quarterly'' 4(4):177-185. a diverse group of Late Cretaceous marine squamates. Members of t ...
:::''
Hainosaurus
''Tylosaurus'' (from the ancient Greek (') 'protuberance, knob' + Greek (') 'lizard') is a genus of mosasaur, a large, predatory marine reptile closely related to modern monitor lizards and to snakes, from the Late Cretaceous.
Description
...
''
:::''
Tylosaurus
''Tylosaurus'' (from the ancient Greek (') 'protuberance, knob' + Greek (') 'lizard') is a genus of mosasaur, a large, predatory marine reptile closely related to modern monitor lizards and to snakes, from the Late Cretaceous.
Description
A ...
Plioplatecarpinae
Plioplatecarpinae is a subfamily of mosasaurs, a diverse group of Late Cretaceous marine squamates. Members of the subfamily are informally and collectively known as "plioplatecarpines" and have been recovered from all continents, though the occu ...
:::''
Platecarpus
''Platecarpus'' ("flat wrist") is an extinct genus of aquatic lizards belonging to the mosasaur family, living around 84–81 million years ago during the middle Santonian to early Campanian, of the Late Cretaceous period. Fossils have been fo ...
''
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Plioplatecarpus
''Plioplatecarpus'' is a genus of mosasaur lizard. Like all mosasaurs, it lived in the late Cretaceous period, about 73-68 million years ago.
Description
''Plioplatecarpus'' was a medium-sized mosasaur, measuring long and weighing . The eyes ...
''
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Selmasaurus
''Selmasaurus'' is an extinct genus of marine lizard belonging to the mosasaur family. It is classified as part of the Plioplatecarpinae subfamily alongside genera like '' Angolasaurus'' and ''Platecarpus''. Two species are known, ''S. russelli'' ...
''
*
Ophidia
__FORCETOC__
Ophidia (also known as Pan-Serpentes) is a group of squamate reptiles including modern snakes and reptiles more closely related to snakes than to other living groups of lizards.
Ophidia was defined as the "most recent common ancest ...
Eupodophis
''Eupodophis'' is an extinct genus of snake from the Late Cretaceous period. It has two small hind legs and is considered a transitional form between Cretaceous lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 sp ...
''
::''
Haasiophis
''Haasiophis'', consisting of the sole species ''Haasiophis terrasanctus'', is an extinct genus of snakes with hind limbs. It is one of three genera of Cenomanian snakes known to have possessed hindlimbs.
Etymology
The genus was named in hon ...
Pachyrhachis
''Pachyrhachis'' (from el, παχύς , 'thick' and el, ῥάχῐς , 'spine') is an extinct genus of snake with well developed hind legs known from fossils discovered in Ein Yabrud, near Ramallah, in the central West Bank. It is a relatively ...
''
:*
Palaeophiidae
Palaeophiidae is an extinct family of marine snake within the infraorder Alethinophidia.
Species within this family lived from the Late Cretaceous to the Late Eocene, approximately from 70.6 to 33.9 million years ago.Archaeophis''
::''
Palaeophis
''Palaeophis'' ('ancient snake') is an extinct genus of marine snake that is the type genus of the extinct snake family Palaeophiidae.
Described species within this genus lived in the Eocene epoch, with some unnamed or questionable records from ...
Tanystropheus
''Tanystropheus'' (Greek ~ 'long' + 'hinged') is an extinct archosauromorph reptile from the Middle and Late Triassic epochs. It is recognisable by its extremely elongated neck, which measured long—longer than its body and tail combined. T ...
'': Middle Triassic
Sauropterygia
Sauropterygia ("lizard flippers") is an extinct taxon of diverse, aquatic reptiles that developed from terrestrial ancestors soon after the end-Permian extinction and flourished during the Triassic before all except for the Plesiosauria became ...
ns
*
Placodont
Placodonts ("Tablet teeth") are an extinct order of marine reptiles that lived during the Triassic period, becoming extinct at the end of the period. They were part of Sauropterygia, the group that includes plesiosaurs. Placodonts were generall ...
s:
Triassic
The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago (Year#Abbreviations yr and ya, Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 ...
::''
Cyamodus
''Cyamodus'' (pron.: SIE-ah-MO-dus) is a genus of placodonts known from several species described from Middle-Late Triassic of Europe and China. The genus was described by Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer in 1863, based on specimens found in Germ ...
''
::''
Henodus
''Henodus'' (from el, ἑνός , 'one' and el, ὀδούς , 'tooth') is an extinct placodont of the Late Triassic period during the early Carnian age. Fossils of ''Henodus chelyops'' were found in the Estherienschichten Member of the Grab ...
''
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Paraplacodus
''Paraplacodus broilli'' is an extinct placodont sauropterygian from the middle Triassic period, from the Anisian until Ladinian stages. The fossils were uncovered in Northern Italy and the species was named in 1931 by Bernhard Peyer. ''Paraplac ...
''
::''
Placochelys
''Placochelys'' ('flat-plate turtle") is an extinct genus of placodont reptiles erected by Otto Jaekel in 1902.
Fossil records
Fossils of ''Placochelys'' dates back to the Triassic period (age range: 221.5 to 205.6 million years ago). They have ...
''
::''
Placodus
''Placodus'' (meaning 'flat tooth') was a genus of marine reptiles belonging to the order Placodontia, which swam in the shallow seas of the middle Triassic period (c. 240 million years ago). Fossils of ''Placodus'' have been found in Central Eu ...
Nothosaur
Nothosaurs (order Nothosauroidea) were Triassic marine sauropterygian reptiles that may have lived like seals of today, catching food in water but coming ashore on rocks and beaches. They averaged about in length, with a long body and tail.F. ...
s: Triassic
::''
Lariosaurus
''Lariosaurus'' is an extinct genus of nothosaurid from the Middle Triassic (late Anisian to late Ladinian stage) of central and western Europe and China. With a length of just , it was one of the smallest known nothosaurs. First discovered at Pe ...
''
::''
Nothosaurus
''Nothosaurus'' ("false lizard", from the Ancient Greek (), "illegitimate", and (), "lizard") is an extinct genus of sauropterygian reptile from the Triassic period, approximately 240–210 million years ago, with fossils being distributed fro ...
''
*
Pachypleurosaur
left, 220px, '' Pachypleurosaurus''
Pachypleurosauria is an extinct clade of primitive sauropterygian reptiles that vaguely resembled aquatic lizards, and were limited to the Triassic period. They were elongate animals, ranging in size from , w ...
Keichousaurus
''Keichousaurus'' (key-cho-saurus) is a genus of marine reptile in the pachypleurosaur family which went extinct at the close of the Triassic in the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event. The name derives from Kweichow (now Guizhou Province) in ...
''
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Neusticosaurus
''Neusticosaurus'' (sometimes misspelled ''Neuticosaurus'') ("swimming lizard"), is an extinct genus of marine reptile belonging to the pachypleurosaurs, from Italy, Switzerland and Germany. ''Neusticosaurus'' was one of the smallest nothosaur ...
Plesiosaurs
The Plesiosauria (; Greek: πλησίος, ''plesios'', meaning "near to" and ''sauros'', meaning "lizard") or plesiosaurs are an order or clade of extinct Mesozoic marine reptiles, belonging to the Sauropterygia.
Plesiosaurs first appeared i ...
:
Early Jurassic
The Early Jurassic Epoch (geology), Epoch (in chronostratigraphy corresponding to the Lower Jurassic series (stratigraphy), Series) is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic Period. The Early Jurassic starts immediately after the Triassic-J ...
- Late Cretaceous
:*
Plesiosauroids
Plesiosauroidea (; Greek: 'near, close to' and 'lizard') is an extinct clade of carnivorous marine reptiles. They have the snake-like longest neck to body ratio of any reptile. Plesiosauroids are known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous p ...
: Early Jurassic - Late Cretaceous
:**''
Plesiosaurus
''Plesiosaurus'' (Greek: ' ('), near to + ' ('), lizard) is a genus of extinct, large marine sauropterygian reptile that lived during the Early Jurassic. It is known by nearly complete skeletons from the Lias of England. It is distinguishable b ...
Cryptoclidus
''Cryptoclidus'' ( ) is a genus of plesiosaur reptile from the Middle Jurassic Period (geology), period of England, France, and Cuba.
Discovery
''Cryptoclidus'' was a plesiosaur whose specimens include adult and juvenile skeletons, and remai ...
Elasmosaurus
''Elasmosaurus'' (;) is a genus of plesiosaur that lived in North America during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous period, about 80.5million years ago. The first specimen was discovered in 1867 near Fort Wallace, Kansas, US, and was se ...
''
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Futabasaurus
''Futabasaurus'' is a genus of plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Fukushima, Japan. It was described and named in 2006, and was assigned to the family Elasmosauridae. The genus contains one species, ''F. suzukii''.
Description
The siz ...
Mauisaurus
''Mauisaurus'' ("Māui lizard") is a dubious genus of plesiosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now New Zealand. Numerous specimens have been attributed to this genus in the past, but a 2017 paper restricts ''Mauisaurus ...
Polycotylidae
Polycotylidae is a family of plesiosaurs from the Cretaceous, a sister group to Leptocleididae. Polycotylids first appeared during the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous, before becoming abundant and widespread during the early Late Cretaceous. ...
:::''
Dolichorhynchops
''Dolichorhynchops'' is an extinct genus of polycotylid plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous (early Turonian to late Campanian stage) of North America, containing three species, ''D. osborni'', ''D. bonneri'' and ''D. tropicensis'', as well as a ...
Manemergus
''Manemergus'' is a genus of polycotylid plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Turonian) of Morocco. ''Manemergus'' was described in 2005 and contains only one species, ''M. anguirostris''. The type specimen was discovered close to the town of ...
Thililua
''Thililua'' is a genus of polycotylid plesiosaur, containing one species, ''T. longicollis''.
Discovery
The name ''Thililua'' is derived from that of an ancient aquatic god from local Berber mythology; ''longicollis'' refers to the animal's ...
Kronosaurus
''Kronosaurus'' ( ; meaning "lizard of Kronos") is a potentially dubious genus of extinct short-necked pliosaur. With an estimated length of , it was among the largest pliosaurs, and is named after the leader of the Greek Titans, Kronos. It ...
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Liopleurodon
''Liopleurodon'' (; meaning 'smooth-sided teeth') is an extinct genus of large, carnivorous marine reptile belonging to the Thalassophonea, a clade of short-necked pliosaurid plesiosaurs. ''Liopleurodon'' lived from the Callovian Stage of the Mi ...
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Macroplata
''Macroplata'' (meaning "big plate") is an extinct genus of Early Jurassic rhomaleosaurid plesiosaur which grew up to in length and weighed up to . Like other plesiosaurs, ''Macroplata'' probably lived on a diet of fish, using its sharp needle-l ...
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Peloneustes
''Peloneustes'' (meaning "mud swimmer") is a genus of pliosaurid plesiosaur from the Middle Jurassic of England. Its remains are known from the Peterborough Member of the Oxford Clay Formation, which is Callovian in age. It was originally descr ...
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Rhomaleosaurus
''Rhomaleosaurus'' (meaning "strong lizard") is an extinct genus of Early Jurassic ( Toarcian age, about 183 to 175.6 million years ago) rhomaleosaurid pliosauroid known from Northamptonshire and from Yorkshire of the United Kingdom. It was fi ...
Sachicasaurus
''Sachicasaurus'' is an extinct genus of brachauchenine pliosaurid known from the Barremian of the Paja Formation, Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the Colombian Cordillera Oriental (Colombia), Eastern Ranges of the Andes. The type species is ''S. vit ...
Ichthyosaurus
''Ichthyosaurus'' (derived from Greek ' () meaning 'fish' and ' () meaning 'lizard') is a genus of ichthyosaurs from the Early Jurassic (Hettangian - Pliensbachian), with possible Late Triassic record, from Europe ( Belgium, England, Germany, ...
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Shastasaurus
''Shastasaurus'' ("Mount Shasta lizard") is a very large extinct genus of ichthyosaur from the middle and late Triassic, and is the largest known marine reptile.Hilton, Richard P., ''Dinosaurs and Other Mesozoic Animals of California'', Universit ...
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Shonisaurus
''Shonisaurus'' is a very large genus of ichthyosaur. At least 37 incomplete fossil specimens of the marine reptile have been found in the Luning Formation of Nevada, USA. This formation dates to the late Carnian age of the late Triassic period, ...
Champsosaurus
''Champsosaurus'' is an extinct genus of crocodile-like choristodere reptile, known from the Late Cretaceous and early Paleogene periods of North America and Europe (Campanian-Paleocene). The name ''Champsosaurus'' is thought to come from , () ...
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Simoedosaurus
''Simoedosaurus'' is an extinct reptile known from the Paleocene of North America, Europe and western Asia, and a member of the Choristodera, a group of aquatic reptiles that lived in the Northern Hemisphere from the Jurassic to the early Cenoz ...
thalattosaur
Thalattosauria (Greek for "sea lizards") is an extinct order of prehistoric marine reptiles that lived in the middle to late Triassic period. Thalattosaurs were diverse in size and shape, and are divided into two superfamilies: Askeptosauroidea an ...
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Actiosaurus
''Actiosaurus'' (meaning "coast lizard") is an extinct genus of reptile first described by Henri Sauvage in 1883 from Antully bonebed, Autun (Triassic of France). The type species is ''A. gaudryi'' (commonly misspelled ''A. gaudrii'' after Boul ...
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Crocodylomorph
Crocodylomorpha is a group of pseudosuchian archosaurs that includes the crocodilians and their extinct relatives. They were the only members of Pseudosuchia to survive the end-Triassic extinction.
During Mesozoic and early Cenozoic times, cro ...
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Thalattosuchia
Thalattosuchia is a clade of marine crocodylomorphs from the Early Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous that had a cosmopolitan distribution. They are colloquially referred to as marine crocodiles or sea crocodiles, though they are not members of Cro ...
: Early Jurassic - Early Cretaceous
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Metriorhynchoidea
Metriorhynchoidea is an extinct superfamily of thalattosuchian crocodyliforms from the Early Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous (Toarcian - Valanginian, possibly as late as early Aptian) of Europe, North America and South America. Metriorhynchids a ...
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Eoneustes
''Eoneustes'' (meaning "dawn swimmer") is an extinct genus of metriorhynchoid crocodyliform from Middle Jurassic (late Bajocian to early Bathonian stage) deposits of France. ''Eoneustes'' was a carnivore that lived in the oceans and spent much, ...
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Teleidosaurus
''Teleidosaurus'' is an extinct genus of carnivorous metriorhynchoid crocodyliform from Middle Jurassic (late Bajocian to early Bathonian stage) deposits of Normandy, France.Wilkinson LE, Young MT, Benton MJ. 2008. A new metriorhynchid crocodilia ...
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Zoneait
''Zoneait'' (pronounced "zone-eight" and meaning "large tooth" in the Kiowa language) is an extinct genus of thalattosuchian crocodylomorph known from a single species, ''Zoneait nargorum'', from the Middle Jurassic of Oregon. ''Z. nargorum'' was ...
Dakosaurus
''Dakosaurus'' is an extinct genus of crocodylomorph within the family Metriorhynchidae that lived during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. It was large, with teeth that were serrated and compressed lateromedially (flattened from side to ...
Geosaurus
''Geosaurus'' is an extinct genus of marine crocodyliform within the family Metriorhynchidae, that lived during the Late Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous. ''Geosaurus'' was a carnivore that spent much, if not all, its life out at sea. No ''Geosa ...
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Metriorhynchus
''Metriorhynchus'' is an extinct genus of marine crocodyliform that lived in the oceans during the Late Jurassic. The type species, ''M. brevirostris'' was named in 1829 as a species of ''Steneosaurus'' before being named as a separate genus by ...
Purranisaurus
''Purranisaurus'' is an extinct genus of marine crocodyliform from the Middle to Late Jurassic period of Chile and Vaca Muerta of Argentina. Rusconi originally regarded ''Purranisaurus potens'' (the type species) to be a plesiosaur; however, Gasp ...
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Teleidosaurus
''Teleidosaurus'' is an extinct genus of carnivorous metriorhynchoid crocodyliform from Middle Jurassic (late Bajocian to early Bathonian stage) deposits of Normandy, France.Wilkinson LE, Young MT, Benton MJ. 2008. A new metriorhynchid crocodilia ...
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Teleosauridae
Teleosauridae is a family of extinct typically marine crocodylomorphs similar to the modern gharial that lived during the Jurassic period. Teleosaurids were thalattosuchians closely related to the fully aquatic metriorhynchoids, but were less ad ...
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Machimosaurus
''Machimosaurus'' is an extinct genus of machimosaurid crocodyliform from the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian and Tithonian) and Early Cretaceous. The type species, ''Machimosaurus hugii'', was found in Switzerland. Other fossils have been found ...
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Pelagosaurus
''Pelagosaurus'' (meaning "lizard of the open sea") is an extinct genus of thalattosuchian crocodyliform that lived during the Toarcian stage of the Lower Jurassic, around 183 Ma to 176 Ma (million years ago), in shallow epicontinental seas that ...
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Platysuchus
''Platysuchus'' ("flat crocodile") is an extinct genus of teleosaurid crocodyliform from the Early Jurassic (Toarcian) of southern Germany and Luxembourg.
Taxonomy
''Platysuchus'' was originally described as a member of the genus ''Mystriosaur ...
Steneosaurus
''Steneosaurus'' (from el, στενός , 'narrow' and el, σαῦρος , 'lizard') is a dubious genus of teleosaurid crocodyliform from the Middle or Late Jurassic ( Callovian or early Oxfordian) of France. The genus has been used as a w ...
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* Tethysuchia: Middle Jurassic - Early Eocene
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Pholidosauridae
Pholidosauridae is an extinct family of aquatic neosuchian mesoeucrocodylian crocodylomorphs. Fossils have been found in Europe (Denmark, England, France, Germany, Spain and Sweden), Africa (Algeria, Niger, Mali, Morocco and Tunisia), North Amer ...
Dyrosauridae
Dyrosauridae is a family of extinct neosuchian crocodyliforms that lived from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) to the Eocene. Dyrosaurid fossils are globally distributed, having been found in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South Ame ...
: Late Cretaceous - Early Eocene
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Arambourgisuchus
''Arambourgisuchus'' ("Prof. Camille Arambourg's crocodile") is an extinct genus of dyrosaurid crocodylomorph from the late Palaeocene of Morocco, found in the region of Sidi Chenane in 2000, following collaboration by French and Moroccan ins ...
Dyrosaurus
''Dyrosaurus'' is a genus of extinct crocodylomorph that lived during the early Eocene. The name ''Dyrosaurus'' comes from () the Greek for lizard or reptile, and Dyr for Djebel Dyr (mountain) close to where the type species was discovered. It ...
Phosphatosaurus
''Phosphatosaurus'' is an extinct genus of dyrosaurid crocodylomorph. It existed during the early Eocene, with fossils having been found from North Africa in Tunisia and Mali. Named in 1955, ''Phosphatosaurus'' is a monotypic genus; the type sp ...
Gavialoidea
Gavialoidea is one of three superfamilies of crocodylians, the other two being Alligatoroidea and Crocodyloidea. Although many extinct species are known, only the gharial ''Gavialis gangeticus'' and the false gharial ''Tomistoma schlegelii'' ...
: Late Cretaceous - Recent
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Eothoracosaurus
''Eothoracosaurus'' is an extinct monospecific genus of eusuchian Crocodylomorpha, crocodylomorphs found in Eastern United States which existed during the Late Cretaceous period. ''Eothoracosaurus'' is considered to belong to an informally named ...
Eosuchus
''Eosuchus'' ("dawn crocodile") is an extinct genus of eusuchian crocodylomorph, traditionally regarded as a gavialoid crocodilian. It might have been among the most basal of all gavialoids, lying crownward of all other known members of the ...
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Argochampsa
''Argochampsa'' (meaning " Argo crocodile", in reference to the mythological ''Argo'' of Jason) is an extinct genus of eusuchian crocodylomorph, usually regarded as a gavialoid crocodilian, related to modern gharials. It lived in the Paleoce ...
Gryposuchus
''Gryposuchus'' is an extinct genus of gavialid crocodilian. Fossils have been found from Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and the Peruvian Amazon. The genus existed during the Miocene epoch (Colhuehuapian to Huayquerian). One recently d ...
Testudine
Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...
Allopleuron
''Allopleuron'' is a genus of extinct sea turtle, which measured long in life. The type species is ''Allopleuron hofmanni''. It is a basal member of the clade Pancheloniidae, closely related to '' Protosphargis''. Similar to ''Protosphargis'', i ...
Araripemydidae
Araripemydidae is a family of freshwater aquatic turtles belonging to the order Pleurodira (side-necked turtles), known from the Early Cretaceous of South America and Africa. The family contains two recognised monotypic genera, ''Araripemys'' a ...
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Araripemys
''Araripemys'' is an extinct marine turtle genus from 112 to 109 million years ago, in the Early Cretaceous Crato and Romualdo Formations of the Araripe Basin in northeastern Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Repub ...
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Bothremydidae
Bothremydidae is an extinct family of side-necked turtles (Pleurodira) known from the Cretaceous and Cenozoic. They are closely related to Podocnemididae, and are amongst the most widely distributed pleurodire groups, with their fossils having b ...
Thalattosaur
Thalattosauria (Greek for "sea lizards") is an extinct order of prehistoric marine reptiles that lived in the middle to late Triassic period. Thalattosaurs were diverse in size and shape, and are divided into two superfamilies: Askeptosauroidea an ...
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*''Agkistrognathus campebelli''
*''Anshunsaurus huangguoshuensis''
*''Anshunsaurus wushaensis''
*''Askeptosaurus italicus''
*''Concavispina biseridensLiu, J., L.-J. Zhao, C. Li, and T. He. 2013. Osteology of Concavispina biseridens (Reptilia, Thalattosauria) from the Xiaowa Formation (Carnian), Guanling, Guizhou, China Journal of Palaeontology 87:341-350.''
*''Clarazia schinzi''
*''Endennasaurus acutirostris''
*''Hescheleria ruebeli''
*''Miodentosaurus brevis''
*''Nectosaurus halius''
*''Paralonectes merriami''
*''Thalattosaurus alexandrae''
*''Thalattosaurus borealis''
*''Xinpusaurus suni''