ichthyosaur

American  

[ik-thee-uh-sawr] / ˈɪk θi əˌsɔr /

noun

1. any fishlike marine reptile of the extinct order Ichthyosauria, ranging from 4 to 40 feet (1.2 to 12 meters) in length and having a round, tapering body, a large head, four paddlelike flippers, and a vertical caudal fin.

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ichthyosaur British  

/ ˈɪkθɪəˌsɔː, ˌɪkθɪəˈsɔːrəs /

noun

1. any extinct marine Mesozoic reptile of the order Ichthyosauria, which had a porpoise-like body with dorsal and tail fins and paddle-like limbs See also plesiosaur

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ichthyosaur Scientific  

/ ĭk′thē-ə-sôr′ /

1. Any of various extinct sea reptiles of the genus Ichthyosaurus and related genera, that had a medium-sized to large dolphin-like body with a dorsal fin, four flippers, and a large, crescent-shaped tail. The head had a long beak with sharp teeth, large eyes and earbones, and nostrils near the eyes on top of the skull. Ichthyosaurs were most common and diverse in the Triassic and Jurassic Periods and died out well before the end of the Cretaceous.

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Other Word Forms

• ichthyosaurian adjective
• ichthyosauroid adjective

Etymology

Origin of ichthyosaur

First recorded in 1820–30; ichthyosaurus

Example Sentences

The region supported plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and large numbers of invertebrates, creating one of the most intricate marine food webs ever identified.

From Science Daily

A near-complete skeleton found on Dorset's Jurassic coast has been identified as a new species of ichthyosaur, a type of prehistoric marine reptile that once ruled the oceans.

From BBC

This revealed a number of specimens including bones from ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs and other ancient sea creatures including ammonites and bivalves, marine crocodiles and sharks.

From Science Daily

Experts have identified the bones as belonging to the jaws of a new species of enormous ichthyosaur, a type of prehistoric marine reptile.

From Science Daily

The giant ichthyosaur died out in a mass extinction and the ichthyosaurs that lived after that never reached the enormous size again, he said.

From BBC