Hauffiopteryx

Hauffiopteryx had a very short snout compared to other ichthyosaurs, and its upper jaw stuck out a little bit past the lower jaw.1

Its belly ribs (gastralia) were extra long, reaching all the way to the 35th vertebra in its backbone, which is unique among ichthyosaurs from the same time.1

The holes on top of its skull (the temporal fenestrae) were small and round, unlike the larger openings in its relative Stenopterygius.1

Scientists think Hauffiopteryx might have had a special diet or hunting style because it only appears in rocks from a short time during the Early Jurassic, when the ocean had less oxygen.1

No one has ever found a baby Hauffiopteryx or any food remains inside its stomach, so how it grew and what it ate is still a mystery.1

Hauffiopteryx was first thought to be a type of Stenopterygius, but in 2008 scientists gave it its own genus because of its unique hip bones and other features.1