Atopodentatus
|
Atopodentatus Temporal range: Middle Triassic, 240 Ma |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Sauria |
| Genus: |
†Atopodentatus Cheng et al., 2014 |
| Type species | |
|
†Atopodentatus unicus Cheng et al., 2014 |
|
Atopodentatus is an extinct genus of marine reptile, possibly basal sauropterygian, known from the early Middle Triassic (Pelsonian substage, Anisian stage) of Luoping County, Yunnan Province, southwestern China. It contains a single species, Atopodentatus unicus. It is thought to have lived between 247 and 242 million years ago, during the Middle Triassic period, about six million years after the Permian extinction. Atopodentatus was herbivorous marine reptile, usually marine reptiles are omnivores or carnivores.
A near complete skeleton along with a left lateral portion of the skull were discovered near Daaozi village, Yunnan, China. The scientific name derives from the peculiar zipper-shaped morphology of the holotype specimen's jaws and unique dentition. However, two fossil skulls discovered in 2016 indicate that the holotype skull was badly damaged, and that the living animal actually had a hammer-shaped head with shovel-like jaws.
Atopodentatus is 3 metres (9.8 ft) long. The geological strata in which the fossil was found, the elongated body, reduced neck, robust appendages and hips of Atopodentatus all suggest that the reptile was probably semi-aquatic in nature.
Originally, the upper mandible of Atopodentatus was believed to have small teeth running along the jawline, and then up along a vertical split in the middle of the upper jaw. This gave the upper jaw the appearance of a "zipper smile of little teeth". The upper jaw was believed to have hooked downwards. Discoveries in 2016, however, overthrew these findings, and revealed that Atopodentatus actually had a hammer-shaped head, with a bank of chisel-shaped teeth, that was useful in rooting the seabed for food.
The genus has been named Atopodentatus from Ancient Greek atopos (άτοπος), signifying "unplaceable, strange, extravagant, absurd, eccentric, disturbing", combined with Latin dentatus, "toothed", referring to the unusual form of arrangement and shape of the teeth. The specific name "unicus" reinforces the uniqueness of the reptile's morphology.
...
Wikipedia