Leptocleidus

Leptocleidus had about 21 teeth on each side of its upper jaw and around 35 teeth on each side of its lower jaw.1

Its skull was triangle-shaped with a crest running from the tip of the nose to the nasal region.1

Unlike many plesiosaurs, Leptocleidus lived in shallow lagoons and may have entered brackish or fresh water, like river mouths.1

Scientists think Leptocleidus moved into fresh water to escape larger plesiosaurs and pliosaurs.1

The name Leptocleidus comes from Greek words meaning 'slender clavicle', referring to its thin collarbone.1

Leptocleidus had large clavicles and interclavicle bones but small shoulder blades, similar to the early Jurassic Rhomaleosaurus.1

A specimen from the Isle of Wight, once thought to be Leptocleidus, was later named a separate genus, Vectocleidus, in 2012.1