Grippia longirostris
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Grippia Temporal range: Early Triassic - Mid Triassic, 235 Ma |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Superorder: | Ichthyopterygia |
| Order: | Grippidia |
| Family: | Grippiidae |
| Genus: | Grippia |
Grippia is a genus of ichthyosaur, an extinct group of reptiles that resembled dolphins. These ichthyosaurs were small; at 1–1.5 m (3.3–4.9 ft) in length. Fossil remains from Svalbard from the specimen SVT 203 were originally assigned to Grippia longirostris but are now thought to have belonged to a non-ichthyopterygian diapsid related to Helveticosaurus.
Fossils have been found along the coasts of Greenland, China, Japan, Norway, and Canada (Sulfur Mountain Formation); of Early Triassic age. No complete skeletons has ever been found. However, well-preserved remains have been found, with the most notable ones including:
Currently there is only one species belonging to Genus Grippia, this species is Grippia longirostris.
Grippia longirostris was an entirely marine species and is considered to be the most basal example of Ichthyopterygia. G.longirostris measured in at 1-1.5m (3.3-4.9 feet) in length making it the smallest species within superorder Ichthyopterygia. Other definitive features of G.longirostris include the arrangement of carpals and metacarpals that constitute the forelimbs and the morphology of the skull. Members of this species swam via lateral movements of their tail similar to that of a modern-day eel.
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Wikipedia