恐龍卡第 1126 張，共 2 027 張

Malawania

名字的意思： “out-of-time swimmer”1

吃：肉魚龍類白堊紀早期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Malawania was a small ichthyosaur that lived in the Early Cretaceous seas. It looked a bit like a dolphin, with flippers instead of legs and a long snout. It is special because it was one of the last ichthyosaurs that did not belong to the ophthalmosaurid group.1 2

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

133 到 121 百萬年前3

白堊紀早期

化石發現地

Chia Gara, Amadia, Kurdistan region, Iraq2

長度

最多 3 m (9.8 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）

Malawania 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)

Malawania 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

Malawania is the first non-ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur known from after the Jurassic,Cretaceous boundary, meaning it survived a time when most of its relatives had died out.1

Its scientific name means 'out-of-time swimmer' because it seemed to belong to an earlier time period.1

The only fossil of Malawania was found in 1952, but scientists did not know its age until 2013 when they studied tiny fossils called palynomorphs in the rock.2

Malawania had a short, trapezoid-shaped humerus (upper arm bone) and an intermedium bone in its flipper that was almost as big as the radius.2

Its forefin had four main fingers and no extra digits, unlike many later ichthyosaurs.2

The fossil was found in Iraq, which is the first post-Triassic ichthyosaur ever reported from the Middle East.2

Malawania 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Malawania 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 Malawania 最常被問的問題

?How big was Malawania?

About 3 metres (9.8 feet) long. That is roughly as long as a small car.1

?What did Malawania eat?

Scientists are not sure exactly, but like other ichthyosaurs it probably ate fish and squid. Its long snout and sharp teeth were good for catching slippery prey.1

?When did Malawania live?

It lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 130 to 125 million years ago. That is after most of its relatives had already died out.1 2

?Where was Malawania found?

The only fossil was discovered in 1952 in Iraqi Kurdistan, near the town of Amadia. It is the first post-Triassic ichthyosaur ever found in the Middle East.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Malawania
命名者: Fischer et al. 20133
類群: 魚龍類
科 / 演化支: Thunnosauria3
分類: Ichthyosauria > Ichthyosauromorpha3
岩石的年代: 133 到 121 百萬年 (Hauterivian / Barremian)3
國家: 伊拉克3
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 1 筆3
發現: The only known fossil of Malawania was discovered in 1952 near Amadia in Iraq. It was named Malawania anachronus by Fischer and colleagues in 2013.1 2
仍有爭議: Scientists are still debating exactly how Malawania is related to other ichthyosaurs, because it has a mix of ancient and modern features.2