For the first time, the remains of this lizard were found in England and described
English zoologist and paleontologist Richard Owen in 1841.
Pliosaurs were among the largest aquatic predators
thanks to the excellent strength of the skulls they could ram their prey,
which stunned her and made her helpless.

They hunted alone from birth. The birth of new
dinosaurs took place in the water. They were not picky about food,
They ate absolutely everything they saw. Thanks to its size
and strength they won in any battle. Natural enemies they don't have
was, so they attacked first, even though
other saurians were their relatives. They also often attacked
pterosaurs entering the water, this is evidenced by the fact that in
in the stomachs of preserved pliosaur remains, paleontologists
fossilized bodies of these winged dinosaurs were found.
Body structure
The tail was short and the body was long and narrow, allowing
move quickly in the water and without any effort catch up with any
sacrifice. In general, the body, if you do not take into account the fins, is very
looks like a crocodile.

Ichthyosaur

Scientists have proven that the very first dinosaur that returned to
water, became an ichthyosaur. Externally very similar to modern dolphins,
they were carnivores and currently there are more than 50
species of ichthyosaurs.
What did they eat and what kind of lifestyle did they lead?
Although the first remains were found in Russia (on the banks of the Volga), still
the largest concentration of these dinosaurs was found in Germany.
Water lizards always lived and hunted in packs, so they could easily
it was easier to fight any attacker, and it was also easier to get food.
He was a carnivore, ate fish and animals, and attacked only those
whoever suited them in size was considered the most important dish
belemnites (“relatives” of squids), were found in the stomachs of dinosaurs
a huge number of their bones.
The birth of the cubs took place in water at the time of birth
“small” ichthyosaurs themselves already knew how to swim well and reach
food for yourself
Body structure
The body shape resembles a dolphin, the only difference is in the structure of the vertebrae (fish type,
those. during swimming, flexion occurred in the horizontal plane, the blade
tail - in a vertical plane). Therefore, if you come across a picture somewhere where
the saurus jumps out of the water, know that he could not do this (due to his structure
spine). Ichthyosaurs had fins on their backs and tails. The skin was
not scaly, but for better movement was covered with grease.

Mosasaurus

This giant water depths replaced the ichthyosaur at the beginning of the Cretaceous
period and became the last species of predatory marine reptiles. First
found between 1770-74 by retired military surgeon K. Hoffmann in
Germany. Mosasaurus is the ancestor of modern monitor lizards, but unlike them,
he had a very poorly developed sense of smell, as well as life completely
passed under water.
What did they eat and what kind of lifestyle did they lead?
Scientists on almost every continent have discovered data remains
dinosaurs, Antarctica was no exception. Although Saurus is the ancestor
monitor lizard, its permanent habitat covered only seas and oceans, and
he moved like a snake, as sea eels do.
We all know that at that time dinosaurs ruled the land, but kings
ocean waters can truly be considered mosasaurs and pliosaurs, they
They were absolutely not afraid of other inhabitants of the waters - they hunted where they wanted and who they wanted
wanted. True, they were not as bloodthirsty as pliosaurs, they were not
attacked their relatives, and ate mainly fish,
shellfish, sea turtles.
Body structure
The body was huge and elongated, the mouth also corresponded to the size of the body,
That's why this type dinosaurs could completely swallow prey either
tear it apart with one movement of the jaw. Whole body covered
scaly skin, like that of modern lizards, ended with a thick body
a tail that resembles the tail of a crocodile.

Elasmosaurus

Waterfowl lizard, but despite this, this species has repeatedly
swam to the shore to profit from land animals. Was
armed sharp teeth, and protection was provided by a strong skeleton.
What did they eat and what kind of lifestyle did they lead?
Could hunt from close and long distances. Catch even the most
fast fish at that time, there were no special problems for the lizard, he
aimed at the victim and with an extremely sharp movement of the neck grabbed
prey.
As was already written above, Elasmosaurus loved to swim to the shore in
searching for new food, so on the shore he swallowed small stones,
which helped him grind large pieces of meat. During
excavations in the stomach of these dinosaurs there were always more than 200 of them
pebbles. Having studied these stones in more detail, scientists came to the conclusion that
Elasmosaurs swam in the ocean more than a few times during their entire lives.
thousands of kilometers in search of such pebbles..
Body structure
Dimensions
It was almost the same in length as the plesiosaur - 12-13m In height - 3.50m
Body weight – up to 500kg
Head
The head was small and very mobile, supported by a huge neck
(up to 8m), which had 72 vertebrae. The mouth was equipped with a deadly weapon -
the teeth, like spikes, easily tore prey into pieces.

An unimaginable event occurred about 251 million years ago, which significantly influenced subsequent eras. The name given by scientists to this event is the Permian-Tertiary extinction, or Great Extinction.

It became the formative boundary between two geological periods - the Permian and Triassic, or, in other words, between the Paleozoic and Mesozoic. It took a little time for most marine and terrestrial species to cease to exist.

These events contributed to the formation of a group of archosaurs on land (the most prominent representatives are dinosaurs) and marine dinosaurs.

Marine reptiles inhabited water areas Mesozoic along with land dinosaurs. They also disappeared at the same time - about 65.5 million years ago. The cause was the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction.

In this article we would like to introduce you to a selection of the 10 most striking and ferocious representatives of marine dinosaurs.

Shastasaurus - a genus of dinosaurs that existed more than 200 million years ago - end Triassic period. According to scientists, their habitat was the territory of modern North America and China.

The remains of Shastasaurs have been found in California, British Columbia and the Chinese province of Guizhou.

Shastasaurus belongs to the ichthyosaurs - marine predators similar to modern dolphins. Being largest reptile in water, individuals could grow to unimaginable sizes: body length - 21 meters, weight - 20 tons.

But, despite their large size, Shastasaurs were not entirely scary predators. They fed by sucking and ate mainly fish.

Dakosaurus – saltwater crocodiles, who lived more than 100.5 million years ago: Late Jurassic - Early Cretaceous.

The first remains were discovered in Germany, and later their habitat expanded from England to Russia and Argentina.

Dacosaurs were large, carnivorous animals. Maximum length the body, reptilian and fish-like at the same time, did not exceed 6 meters.

Scientists who have studied the structure of the teeth of this species believe that the dracosaurus was the main predator during its period of residence.

Dracosaurs hunted exclusively for large prey.

Thalassomedon are dinosaurs belonging to the group of pliosaurs. Translated from Greek - “lord of the sea.” They lived 95 million years ago in the territory of the North. America.

The body length reached 12.5 meters. Huge flippers, which allowed him to swim at incredible speeds, could grow up to 2 meters. The size of the skull was 47 cm, and the teeth were approximately 5 cm. The main diet was fish.

The dominance of these predators remained until the late Cretaceous period, and only ceased with the appearance of Mosasaurs.

Nothosaurus – sea ​​lizards, which existed during the Triassic period - about 240-210 million years ago. They were found in Russia, Israel, China, North Africa.

Scientists believe that nothosaurs are relatives of pliosaurs, another type of deep-sea predator.

Nothosaurs were extremely aggressive predators, and their body reached a length of up to 4 m. The limbs were webbed. There were 5 long fingers, intended for both movement on land and swimming.

The teeth of predators were sharp, directed outward. Most likely, nothosaurs ate fish and squid. It is believed that they attacked from ambush, using their sleek, reptilian physique to stealthily approach the food, thereby catching it by surprise.

A complete skeleton of Nothosaurus is in the Natural History Museum, Berlin.

Sixth on our list of marine dinosaurs is Tylosaurus.

Tylosaurus is a species of mosasaurus. A large predatory lizard that lived in the oceans 88-78 million years ago - the end of the Cretaceous period.

Huge Tylosaurs reached 15 meters in length, thus being the apex predators of their time.

The diet of tylosaurs was varied: fish, large predatory sharks, small mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, and waterfowl.

Thalattoarchon is a marine reptile that existed during the Triassic period - 245 million years ago.

The first fossils discovered in Nevada in 2010 gave scientists new insights into the ecosystem's meteoric recovery after the Great Dying.

The found skeleton - part of the skull, spine, pelvic bones, part of the hind fins - was the size of a school bus: about 9 m in length.

Thalattoarchon was an apex predator, growing up to 8.5 m.

Tanystropheus are lizard-like reptiles that existed 230 - 215 million years ago - the Middle Triassic period.

Tanystropheus grew up to 6 meters in length, had a 3.5-meter elongated and mobile neck.

They were not exclusively aquatic inhabitants: most likely, they could lead both aquatic and semi-aquatic image life, hunting near the shore. Tanystrophae are predators that eat fish and cephalopods.

Liopleurodon are large carnivorous marine reptiles. They lived about 165-155 million years ago - the boundary of the Middle and Late Jurassic period.

Typical dimensions of Liopleurodon are 5-7 meters in length, weight - 1-1.7 tons. It is believed that the most famous large representative was more than 10 meters in length.

Scientists believe that the jaws of these reptiles reached 3 m.

During its period, Liopleurodon was considered an apex predator, dominating the food chain.

They hunted from ambush. They fed on cephalopods, ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, sharks and other large animals.

Mosasaurus - reptiles of the late Cretaceous period - 70-65 million years ago. Habitat: territory of modern Western Europe, North America.

The first remains were discovered in 1764 near the Meuse River.

Appearance Mosasaurus is a mixture of a whale, a fish and a crocodile. There were hundreds of sharp teeth.

They preferred to eat fish, cephalopods, turtles and ammonites.

Research by scientists suggests that mosasaurs may be distant relatives of modern monitor lizards and iguanas.

The first place is rightfully occupied by the prehistoric shark, considered a truly terrible creature.

Carcharocles lived 28.1-3 million ago – Cenozoic era.

This is one of the largest predators in history sea ​​creatures. Considered the ancestor of the great white shark - the most terrible and top predator to date.

The length of the body reached 20 m, and the weight was 60 tons.

Megalodons hunted cetaceans and other large aquatic animals.

Interesting fact is that some cryptozoologists believe that this predator could have survived to the present day. But, fortunately, apart from the huge 15-centimeter teeth found, there is no other evidence.

Do you want to know what types of dinosaurs learned to swim underwater?

Most of the huge swimming monsters we know about are called marine reptiles, not dinosaurs. These huge creatures lived in the seas and oceans at the same time that dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

The most famous marine predator is Spinosaurus.

It was the largest sea predatory dinosaur, which we know about. Scientists think that he could live both on land and in water. He could dive underwater and swim, as his limbs had membranes in the shape of the fins of modern drivers. He probably hunted sharks and big fish.

Spinosaurus is the only dinosaur we know that spent most of its life in water. Another marine dinosaur, Ceratosaurus, could probably swim and hunt crocodiles and large fish underwater.

Swimming reptiles

Spinosaurus wasn't the only one large dinosaur living in the water!

The sea was teeming with large and ferocious reptiles of all shapes and sizes. Here are a few of them:

Nothosaurus Nobu Tamura

The first large ocean reptiles were Nechosaurus, which means "false reptile". They lived during the Triassic period, probably leading a lifestyle similar to that of modern seals. There are about a dozen different species, but the most famous of them is Nothosaurus. This animal was about 4 meters (13 feet), with long, webbed toes and may have had a tail.

These reptiles replaced the plesiosaurs that appeared in the early Jurassic period. Most had long necks and small heads, ranging in size from 2.5 meters (8 feet) to 14 meters (46 feet) in length.

Pliosaur

The largest of them was the Pliosaurus. This animal had teeth more than 30 centimeters (12 in) long, and the pressure of its jaws was four times more powerful than that of Tyrannosaurus Rex. It is 15 meters (49 ft) long.

Another underwater plesiosaur is the long-eyed Elamosaurus.

Elamosaurus

It had four fins and grew to be about 14 meters (46 ft) long. It was a very slow swimmer and probably tracked large schools of fish while hunting.

Their necks were so long that they could not lift their heads above the water.

Why didn't all dinosaurs know how to swim?

The word "dinosaur" has a very specific meaning.

Science uses the term "dinosaur" to describe certain type creatures (such as Spinosaurus), but this name does not include marine reptiles or so-called "flying dinosaurs".

One of the reasons for the different classification is different kind their limbs. Dinosaurs had limbs that were located on the ventral part of their bodies, and marine reptiles had limbs that grew on the sides.

According to modern paleontologists, giant ancient reptiles began to explore water element back at the end of the Permian period of his life on Earth. Scientists claim that throughout their lives they always returned to the water. The reason for this is the abundance of underwater food and, of course, safety.

In the seas and oceans

It is curious that life in the seas and oceans did not at all require from the ancient lizards any fundamental restructuring of the body: one only has to remember modern reptiles, living in water, but having a completely land appearance. For example, these are crocodiles or

It is worth noting that the movement and feeding of dinosaurs in water is an energy expenditure that is only a quarter of all the costs required for their movement and feeding directly on land! The so-called primitive dinosaurs, a dead-end branch in evolution, returned especially easily to the water. But that's a completely different story.

The first swimming dinosaurs - who are they?

Scientists believe that the first true aquatic creatures were the Permian mesosaurs, representing a subclass of anapsids. Following them, representatives of the so-called primitive diapsids returned to the water: tangosaurs, hovasauruses and claudiosaurs.

All of them belonged to the order Eosuchia and reached a length of only 50 cm. Only in the middle of the Triassic period did these swimming dinosaurs “grow” to two meters in length, finally turning into serious and even dangerous reptiles.

Outwardly, they resembled today's newts from the class of amphibians: aquatic eosuchians had a long tail, flattened on the sides, and a ridge running along the back through the entire body. In the Triassic period, no more than 5 groups of aquatic reptiles existed on Earth. We have just examined one of them - aquatic eosuchians. Let's take a closer look at other types of swimming dinosaurs.

Placodonts

Outwardly they resembled small long-tailed seals. Their length did not exceed 1.5 m. The body of placodonts had a streamlined and fusiform shape. The head is small, the legs are short. The swimming methods of dinosaurs belonging to the placodont group were not particularly diverse: the reptiles simply extended their awkward short legs along their bodies and swam like small torpedoes.

As mentioned above, the whole truth about placodont dinosaurs, like many other aquatic reptiles, is shrouded in darkness and mystery. Scientists are inclined to believe that these are the descendants of some ancient anapsids. However, the age of placodonts was short - these creatures originated at the beginning of the Triassic, but by the end of it they had completely died out.

Nothosaurs

These are another swimming dinosaurs that lived during the Triassic era. Their sizes reached 4 m in length, but the vast majority of them were still noticeably smaller. Predatory reptiles had a streamlined body, a short tail, and a rather flexible neck equal to the length of their body.

They had a small head with a mouth armed with sharp teeth. These creatures moved in the water with the help of monotonous movements of the tail, creating and also through their webbed feet.

If the need arose for nothosaurs, they easily climbed ashore and bask in the sun. Scientists are confident that the predators were ancient lobe-finned fish species. It is curious that in the second half of the Triassic period these creatures gave rise to a separate branch of the now known aquatic predators - plesiosaurs. The notosaurs themselves became extinct by the end of the Triassic.

Thallatosaurus

Representatives of this group superficially resembled the nothosaurs described above, only the neck was shorter and the head was larger. The swimming methods of dinosaurs of this group cannot be called unique: they did not use their paws for rowing at all, but simply extended them along the body, like placodonts.

Scientists are inclined to believe that these creatures originated from some ancient and primitive anapsids, even more ancient than the previously mentioned aquatic eosuchians. They became extinct by the end of the Triassic, like nothosaurs. They left no descendants behind.

Ichthyosaurs

This is the last group that represented the world's most famous swimming dinosaurs - ichthyosaurs. Ichthyosaurs were better adapted than all other lizards to life and habitat in the seas and oceans. It is known that these predators are descendants of diapsids, but which ones exactly are unknown. Ichthyosaurs appeared in the Permian period, although the oldest remains of these reptiles date back to the Lower Triassic period.

Externally, ichthyosaurs completely repeated the shape of today's fish. Their triangular head with jaws extended forward resembled the head of dolphins. The body, flattened laterally, the vertical blade of the tail and paws that turned into fins, made them unlike all their aquatic predecessors.

A giant among swimming dinosaurs

Its name is Liopleurodon. This is the largest aquatic predator of all times, being the most studied species. Its size is still a subject of debate among scientists. According to most experts, liopleurodons could reach 25 m in length and weigh up to 150 tons! According to some reports, this is the most large predator who ever lived on Earth. By the way, he belonged to the already mentioned plesiosaurs and lived during the Jurassic period.