Anarosaurus

Anarosaurus was tiny, only about 50 to 60 cm (1.6 to 2.0 ft) long, smaller than a modern cat.1

It had two different species: Anarosaurus pumilio and Anarosaurus heterodontus, which had different tooth shapes.1

The name Anarosaurus means 'without lizard' in Greek, but scientists are not sure why it was given that name.1

Anarosaurus lived in a shallow sea that covered parts of Europe during the Triassic, and its fossils are found in rocks that were once seafloor.1

The first fossil of Anarosaurus was found in Germany, but the original specimen was lost or destroyed during World War II.1

Anarosaurus is a pachypleurosaur, a group of small, primitive sauropterygians that were ancestors of the giant plesiosaurs.1