CLAUDIOSAURUS SKELETON
Claudiosaurus germaini
Upper Permian (259 - 252 Ma)
Lower Sakamena Formation, Madagascar
L. 19 ¾ in - W. 9 ¾ in
The specimen was found inside a limestone nodule and restored to its original form with hundreds of hours of meticulous paleontological preparation.
Claudiosaurus is a diapside reptile considered partially oceanic, had life habits comparable to those of today's marine iguana. It had a relatively long body and neck, and its joint structure shows that it was still capable of terrestrial locomotion, but the large number of cartilaginous skeletal parts suggests that it had difficulty bearing weight on land and preferred to spend most of its time in water.
The long neck and small skull size must have greatly increased mobility in water and facilitated food capture. The presence of small and numerous marginal teeth and a covering of denticles even on the palate suggest that Claudiosaurus fed on small aquatic animals, such as small crustaceans.
It is thought that during swimming the limbs were bent against the body to improve its hydrodynamic qualities, while propulsion was provided by the tail, undulating probably vertically like that of a cetacean and not laterally like that of a snake.
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