Tylosaurus Knob Lizard Sea Reptiles Sea reptiles were not dinosaurs but lived at the same time Ichthyosaurs plesiosaurs pliosaurs and mosasaurs swam in Earth’s seas during the Mesozoic era They breathed air like today’s whales
These powerful swimmers had jaws filled with sharp teeth They easily hunted their fill of large sharks squid fish and even flying reptiles and sea birds For millions of years marine reptiles ruled the prehistoric seas XTREME FACT A sea reptile was one of the first fossil reptiles ever correctly identified An ichthyosaur was found by Mary and Joseph Anning in Great Britain in 1811
Teeth Sea reptiles had jaws filled with teeth Some had teeth designed for grasping and holding prey Small-toothed sea reptiles ate soft prey such as squid Others had interlocking teeth that trapped prey in the reptile’s mouth Some big-headed sea reptiles had dagger-like teeth that allowed them to grab and eat larger meals such as crocodiles turtles and other hard-shelled sea creatures
A few sea reptiles had long pointed jaws with only a few teeth They likely swung their heads back and forth using the jaw much like today’s swordfish They then collected and ate the pieces of their prey XTREME FACT Plesiosaur fossils have been found with dozens of stones in their bodies The sea reptiles swallowed these gastroliths to help break up and digest the large pieces of food they ate
