恐龍卡第 0753 張，共 2 027 張

Grendelius

名字的意思： “Grendel's creature, after the monster in the Old English poem Beowulf”1

吃：肉魚龍類侏羅紀晚期到白堊紀早期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Grendelius was a fast-swimming marine reptile that lived in the Jurassic seas. It was not a dinosaur, but a type of ichthyosaur, which means 'fish lizard'. With its big eyes and sharp teeth, it was a fierce hunter of fish and squid.1 4

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 143 百萬年前4

侏羅紀晚期到白堊紀早期

化石發現地

Stowbridge, Norfolk, England, and also in European Russia1 4

長度

3.5 到 4.5 m (11 到 15 ft)1

最高速度

時速約 47 公里（29 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 4 隻狗從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 25 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）

Grendelius 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)

Grendelius 時速約 47 公里 (29 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

Grendelius was first described in 1976 from a fossil found in the Kimmeridge Clay of England.1

Its name comes from Grendel, the monster in the Old English poem Beowulf.1

Grendelius had a very short and wide front flipper, which helped it steer quickly through the water.2

Scientists think Grendelius gave birth to live young, like other ichthyosaurs, instead of laying eggs.2

Some experts believe Grendelius might be the same animal as Brachypterygius extremus, but others disagree.2

Fossils of Grendelius have been found in both England and Russia, showing it lived across a wide area of the Jurassic ocean.1 4

Grendelius 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Grendelius 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。

你們都在問

關於 Grendelius 最常被問的問題

?How big was Grendelius?

About 4 metres (13 feet) long. That is roughly the length of a small car.3

?What did Grendelius eat?

It was a fierce hunter of fish and squid, using its big eyes and sharp teeth to catch them.3

?Is Grendelius a dinosaur?

No, it is not a dinosaur. It is a type of ichthyosaur, a marine reptile that lived in the Jurassic seas.3

迷思破解王

迷思： Grendelius was a dinosaur.

真相： Grendelius was an ichthyosaur, a marine reptile that lived in the sea. Ichthyosaurs are not dinosaurs.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Grendelius
命名者: McGowan 19764
類群: 魚龍類
科 / 演化支: Ophthalmosauridae4
分類: Ichthyosauria > Ichthyosauromorpha4
岩石的年代: 155 到 143 百萬年 (Kimmeridgian / Tithonian)4
國家: 俄羅斯4
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 6 筆4
發現: Grendelius was named by paleontologist C. McGowan in 1976, based on a partial skeleton found in the Kimmeridge Clay of Stowbridge, Norfolk, England.1
仍有爭議: Scientists are not sure if Grendelius is a separate genus or if it should be called Brachypterygius extremus. The classification is still debated.2