恐龍卡第 1288 張，共 2 027 張

Nothosaurus

名字的意思： “false lizard”1

吃：魚海生爬蟲類三疊紀早期到三疊紀晚期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Nothosaurus was a marine reptile that lived in the Triassic Period, about 245 to 210 million years ago. It looked a bit like a seal with a long tail and webbed feet, and it swam in warm seas that covered much of the world. It was not a dinosaur, but a different kind of reptile called a sauropterygian.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

251 到 201 百萬年前4

三疊紀早期到三疊紀晚期

化石發現地

Germany, Israel, China, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France, Poland, Switzerland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States (California)4 1

長度

4 到 7 m (13 到 23 ft)1

最高速度

時速約 22 公里（14 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 7 隻狗從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 39 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長能在 8.2 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Nothosaurus 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)

Nothosaurus 時速約 22 公里 (14 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

Nothosaurus had webbed toes and probably a fin on its tail to help it swim, much like a modern seal.1

Some Nothosaurus fossils show that they gave birth to live young, not eggs. This is called vivipary.1

The name Nothosaurus means 'false lizard' because early scientists thought it was a lizard, but it was actually a marine reptile.1

Nothosaurus lived in the Tethys Ocean, a huge sea that existed between the continents of the Triassic Period.1

Trackways from China suggest Nothosaurus used its paddles to dig into the seabed to find hidden prey.1

Nothosaurus had a closed palate, which means it could breathe while holding food in its mouth underwater.2

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

?How big was Nothosaurus?

Most Nothosaurus species were about 4 metres (13 feet) long, but some like N. zhangi and N. giganteus could reach 5 to 7 metres (16 to 23 feet).1

?What did Nothosaurus eat?

It ate fish and other marine creatures, using its long jaws lined with needle teeth to catch them. It may have also snapped up crustaceans and worms hiding in the seabed mud.1 3

?Could Nothosaurus swim?

Yes, it was a semi-oceanic swimmer that used its tail, legs, and webbed feet to propel and steer through the water, much like a seal.1

?When did Nothosaurus live?

Nothosaurus lived during the Triassic Period, about 245 to 228 million years ago.1

?Where did Nothosaurus live?

Its fossils have been found in Europe, North Africa, and China, in areas that were once part of the warm Tethys Ocean.1 2

?Is Nothosaurus a dinosaur?

No, Nothosaurus is not a dinosaur. It is a different kind of reptile called a sauropterygian, which is a group distinct from lizards and snakes.1 2

?How fast could Nothosaurus swim?

Probably up to about 22 km/h (14 mph) in the water, about as fast as a grown-up riding a bike. This is an estimate. It swam by swishing its body and using its legs, a bit like a seal.2

迷思破解王

迷思： Nothosaurus is often mistaken for a dinosaur.

真相： Nothosaurus was a marine reptile called a sauropterygian, not a dinosaur. Dinosaurs lived on land and had different body features.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Nothosaurus
命名者: Münster 18344
類群: 海生爬蟲類
科 / 演化支: Nothosauridae4
分類: Sauropterygia4
岩石的年代: 251 到 201 百萬年 ()4
岩層: Jena, Erfurt, Karlstadt4
國家: 德國, 以色列, 中國, 荷蘭, 義大利, 西班牙4
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 103 筆4
又名: Dracosaurus, Elmosaurus, Kolposaurus, Opeosaurus, Paranothosaurus, Shingyisaurus （舊名稱現在也算作同一種動物）4
發現: Nothosaurus was named in 1834 by Georg Graf zu Münster based on fossils from the Muschelkalk of Germany. The type species is Nothosaurus mirabilis.1 4
仍有爭議: Scientists are still debating exactly how Nothosaurus swam, whether it used its tail and limbs together or mainly its body undulations.1 2