Rhomaleosaurus

Rhomaleosaurus
Temporal range: Early Jurassic, 208.5–174.1 Ma
Cast of the R. cramptoni holotype specimen (NHMUK PV R.34), Natural History Museum, London
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Superorder: †Sauropterygia
Order: †Plesiosauria
Family: †Rhomaleosauridae
Genus: †Rhomaleosaurus
Seeley, 1874
Species

Rhomaleosaurus (meaning "strong lizard") is an extinct genus of Early Jurassic (Toarcian age, about 183 to 175.6 million years ago) rhomaleosaurid pliosauroid known from Northamptonshire and from Yorkshire of the United Kingdom. It was first named by Harry Seeley in 1874 and the type species is Rhomaleosaurus cramptoni. It was one of the earliest large marine reptile predators which hunted in the seas of Mesozoic era, measuring about 7 metres (23 ft) long.[1][2] Like other pliosaurs, Rhomaleosaurus fed on ichthyosaurs, ammonites and other plesiosaurs.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Smith07 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference SmithDyke08 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).