恐龍卡第 0023 張，共 2 027 張

Acuetzpalin

名字的意思： “water lizard in Classical Nahuatl”1

吃：肉魚龍類侏羅紀晚期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Acuetzpalin was a fast-swimming marine reptile that lived in the warm seas of Mexico during the Late Jurassic. It looked a bit like a dolphin but was actually an ichthyosaur, a group of ocean predators. Its long snout was full of sharp teeth for catching fish and squid.3 1

趣味小知識：這種海生爬蟲類在海裡游泳的時候，恐龍正在陸地上走路。大家都叫牠們恐龍，但牠們其實是爬蟲類的另一個分支。

生存年代

155 到 149 百萬年前3

侏羅紀晚期

化石發現地

Cerro de Palotes, Durango, Mexico3 2

長度

3.1 m (10 ft)1

最高速度

時速約 48 公里（30 英里）

游泳, 估計值

牠生活在什麼時候？

三疊紀

侏羅紀

白堊紀

2 億 5200 萬年前20114566，小行星撞地球

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

跟 3 隻狗從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 17 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長能在 3.8 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Acuetzpalin 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡算算數學。什麼都不會被儲存或傳送出去。

牠有多快？

走路的人 時速約 5 公里 (3 mph)

騎腳踏車的小朋友 時速約 12 公里 (7 mph)

Acuetzpalin 時速約 48 公里 (30 mph)

一匹飛奔的馬 時速約 65 公里 (40 mph)

一隻獵豹 時速約 100 公里 (62 mph)

酷東西

趣味知識

Acuetzpalin was named in 2020, making it the first new ichthyosaur genus described since 2017.1

Its skull was very well preserved, even though the rest of the skeleton was missing some parts.1

Acuetzpalin belonged to a group called ophthalmosaurids, which were the most advanced ichthyosaurs.2

It lived about 150 million years ago during the Kimmeridgian stage of the Jurassic.3

The fossils were found in the La Casita Formation, which was once a shallow sea.1 2

Acuetzpalin is only known from one partial skeleton, so scientists are still learning about it.1

Acuetzpalin 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Acuetzpalin 可能的樣子。這只是猜測：真正的動物可能長得不一樣，也沒有人知道牠真正的顏色。

給恐龍專家

學名: Acuetzpalin
命名者: Barrientos-Lara and Alvarado-Ortega 20203
類群: 魚龍類
科 / 演化支: Ophthalmosauridae3
分類: Ichthyosauria > Ichthyosauromorpha3
岩石的年代: 155 到 149 百萬年 (Kimmeridgian)3
岩層: La Casita3
國家: 墨西哥3
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 1 筆3
發現: Acuetzpalin was discovered by students from the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 1979 and 1980, led by professors Oscar Carranza Castañeda and René Hernández Rivera. It was named and described by Jair Israel Barrientos-Lara and Jesús Alvarado-Ortega in 2020.2 3
仍有爭議: Scientists are not sure exactly how big Acuetzpalin grew, because the only known skeleton is missing its tail and limbs.1