Teleosaurus

Teleosaurus was an extinct genus of teleosaurid crocodyliform that lived during the Middle Jurassic. It was approximately 3 metres (10 ft) in length.

Teleosaurus fossil at the Geological Museum in Copenhagen

Illustration of Teleosaurus, 1894.

Teleosaurus Temporal range: Bajocian–Bathonian, 171–164 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Skull of T. cadomensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Suborder:	†Thalattosuchia
Family:	†Teleosauridae
Genus:	†Teleosaurus Geoffroy, 1825
Species
T. cadomensis (type) T. geoffroyi

Teleosaurus had highly elongate jaws, similar to those of a modern gharial. It had a long, slender, body, with a sinuous tail that would have helped propel it through the water. Its forelimbs were remarkably short, and would probably have been held close to the body when swimming to improve the animal's streamlining. Unlike modern crocodilians, it lived in the open ocean, and it probably caught fish and squid with its sharp, needle-like teeth.[1]

References

1. Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 99. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.

• R. Owen (1842). Report on British fossil reptiles, part II. Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 11: 60-204.
• P. H. Phizackerley (1951). A revision of the Teleosauridae in the Oxford University Museum and the British Museum. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History 12(4): 1170–1192.