Thaumatosaurus

Thaumatosaurus was named in 1841 by the paleontologist Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer.1

The name Thaumatosaurus means 'wonder reptile' in Greek.1

Many fossils that were once called Thaumatosaurus are now thought to belong to other plesiosaurs like Rhomaleosaurus and Meyerasaurus.1

Thaumatosaurus is considered a 'nomen dubium' or doubtful name, because the original fossil pieces are too few to tell exactly what kind of plesiosaur it was.1

The fossils of Thaumatosaurus were found in rocks from the Bathonian stage, which is about 168 to 165 million years old.2

Thaumatosaurus lived in the ocean and was a strong swimmer, using its flippers to move through the water.2