Hauffiosaurus
Hauffiosaurus was a medium-sized plesiosaur that swam in the warm, shallow seas of the Early Jurassic. It had a very long, thin snout and slender teeth, perfect for catching slippery fish. Its fossils have been found in Germany and England.1
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Fun facts
Hauffiosaurus zanoni is known from a nearly complete skeleton that was discovered in the early 1800s, but it was not properly described until 2001.1
The name Hauffiosaurus honors the Hauff family, who run the Urwelt-Museum Hauff in Holzmaden, Germany, where the type specimen is displayed.1
This plesiosaur had a very long, thin snout, a shape that scientists think is a sign it ate mostly fish.1
Its teeth were slender and had fine ridges running lengthwise, which helped it grip slippery fish.1
Three species are known: H. zanoni, H. tomistomimus, and H. longirostris. The last two were named in 2011.1
The largest species, H. tomistomimus and H. longirostris, grew to about 4.83 metres (15.8 feet) long.1
Most asked questions about Hauffiosaurus
?How big was Hauffiosaurus?
It depended on the species. Hauffiosaurus zanoni measured about 3.4 metres (11.2 ft) long, while H. tomistomimus and H. longirostris grew to about 4.83 metres (15.8 ft) long.1
?What did Hauffiosaurus eat?
It ate fish. Its long, thin snout and slender teeth with fine ridges were perfect for catching and gripping slippery fish.1
?Is Hauffiosaurus a dinosaur?
No, it is not a dinosaur. Hauffiosaurus was a plesiosaur, a type of marine reptile that lived in the sea during the time of dinosaurs.1
?When did Hauffiosaurus live?
It lived during the Early Jurassic Period, about 183 to 180 million years ago.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Hauffiosaurus
- Named by
- O'Keefe 20013
- Group
- Plesiosaurs
- Family / clade
- Pliosauridae3
- Classification
- Plesiosauria > Pliosauridae > Sauropterygia3
- Age of the rocks
- 184 to 175 million years (Toarcian)3
- Rock formations
- Whitby Mudstone, Alum Shale, Posidonia Shale3
- Countries
- United Kingdom, Germany3
- Fossil records
- 4 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- The first specimen of Hauffiosaurus was found in the early 1800s in Holzmaden, Germany, but it was not recognized as a new genus until Frank Robin O'Keefe named it in 2001. The type species is H. zanoni, named after Robert Thomas Zanon, who first realized it was something special.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly where Hauffiosaurus fits in the plesiosaur family tree. Some think it is a pliosauroid, but its exact position is still debated.1
Where the facts come from
- Hauffiosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- Hauffiosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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