Temporal range: Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic (Callovian to Oxfordian), 165–157 Ma
PreꞒ
Ꞓ
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Possible record during the Berriasian
Composite skeleton (NHMUK PV R3702, R3893, R4124) of Ophthalmosaurus icenicus at the Natural History Museum, London, with the forelimbs mounted backwards[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Reptilia
Order:
†Ichthyosauria
Family:
†Ophthalmosauridae
Subfamily:
†Ophthalmosaurinae
Genus:
†Ophthalmosaurus Seeley 1874
Type species
†Ophthalmosaurus icenicus
Seeley 1874
Species
†O. icenicusSeeley 1874 (type species)
Synonyms
AncanamuniaRusconi 1942
KhudiakoviaArkhangelsky 1999
Ophthalmosaurus (Greek ὀφθάλμος ophthalmos 'eye' and σαῦρος sauros 'lizard') is a genus of ichthyosaur known from the Middle-Late Jurassic. Possible remains from the earliest Cretaceous, around 145 million years ago, are also known. It was a relatively medium-sized ichthyosaur, measuring 4 m (13 ft) long and weighing 940 kg (2,070 lb).[2][3] Named for its extremely large eyes, it had a jaw containing many small but robust teeth. Major fossil finds of this genus have been recorded in Europe with a second species possibly being found in North America.
^Moon, B. C.; Kirton, A. M. (2016). "Ichthyosaurs of the British Middle and Upper Jurassic. Part 1, Ophthalmosaurus". Monographs of the Palaeontographical Society. 170 (647): 1–84. doi:10.1080/02693445.2016.11963958. hdl:1983/983f82bf-a391-4cbc-b313-1fc754017eef. S2CID 133288616.
^Cite error: The named reference Motanietal1999 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference Motani2005 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
referred to cf. Ophthalmosaurus (i.e., either Ophthalmosaurus or a closely related species). Within Ophthalmosauridae, Ophthalmosaurus was once considered...
found to be preoccupied. Baptanodon was considered a junior synonym of Ophthalmosaurus by Maisch & Matzke (2000). However, cladistic analyses published in...
by George H. Baur, in 1887, the family contains the basal taxa like Ophthalmosaurus. Appleby (1956) named the taxon Ophthalmosauria which was followed...
from Europe Anurognathus, one of the smallest pterosaurs from Europe Ophthalmosaurus, a very common sea-going ichthyosaur from Europe and North America...
specimens of Ophthalmosaurus have similar processes. The back part of the clavicle gradually narrows into a curved point, as in Ophthalmosaurus and Baptanodon...
anatomy and phylogenetic relationships of Maiaspondylus lindoei, "Ophthalmosaurus" cantabrigiensis and "Platypterygius" ochevi was published by Zverkov...
I. trigonus may be synonymous with Ophthalmosaurus icenicus) Richard Lydekker erected the species Ophthalmosaurus cantabridgiensis from the Cambridge...
Maisch and Matzke (2000) regarded Undorosaurus to be a species of Ophthalmosaurus. However, Storrs et al. 2000 rejected this synonymy based on the tooth...
4 m-long (13 ft) Ophthalmosaurus and related genera, they were very similar in general build to Ichthyosaurus. The eyes of Ophthalmosaurus were huge, and...
Jabalisaurus meztli. It was initially identified as a specimen of a Ophthalmosaurus cf. icenus. Barrientos-Lara, Jair Israel; Alvarado-Ortega, Jesús (2021-11-01)...
Ophthalmosaurus. The process was separated from the scapular facet (articulation with the scapula) by a deep, wide notch, as in many Ophthalmosaurus specimens...
scleral rings. Virtually complete scleral ring of the ichthyosaur Ophthalmosaurus Partial scleral ring of Mosasaurus. Skull and scleral ring of the gorgonopsian...
main character in the Mo's Mischief children's book series Mo, an ophthalmosaurus from The Land Before Time franchise MO (Maintenance Operator), a robot...
versions were made, mostly for corpses but also for some animals, such as Ophthalmosaurus. The greatest challenge for the artist at Crawley Creatures was working...
skulls attributable to Ophthalmosaurus from England. The toothlessness of many adult skulls suggest that either Ophthalmosaurus lost its teeth as it aged...
Maisch and Matzke (2000) regarded Mollesaurus to be a species of Ophthalmosaurus. However, all recent cladistic analyses found that Mollesaurus is a...
for the first time by Fischer et al. (2012) as "all taxa closer to Ophthalmosaurus icenicus than to Platypterygius hercynicus". The cladogram below follows...
is voiced by Mikey Kelley. Mo, voiced by Rob Paulsen, is a colorful Ophthalmosaurus who first appeared in The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water...
including those of Bison antiquus. The repaired animatronic of an Ophthalmosaurus from the BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs is also in this section. The...
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