恐龍卡第 1315 張，共 2 027 張

Ophthalmothule

名字的意思： “eye of the north”1 2

吃：肉蛇頸龍類侏羅紀晚期到白堊紀早期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Ophthalmothule was a plesiosaur, a marine reptile that lived in the sea, not a dinosaur. It had huge eye sockets, so it probably hunted in dark or deep water. This medium-sized swimmer was about as long as a car.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

149 到 137 百萬年前4

侏羅紀晚期到白堊紀早期

化石發現地

Spitsbergen, Norway (Slottsmøya Member, Agardhfjellet Formation)2 1

長度

5 到 5.5 m (16 到 18 ft)1 2

最高速度

時速約 28 公里（17 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 6 隻狗從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 31 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長能在 6.4 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Ophthalmothule 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)

Ophthalmothule 時速約 28 公里 (17 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

Ophthalmothule lived right at the end of the Jurassic and start of the Cretaceous, about 149 to 137 million years ago.3

Its name means 'eye of the north' because it had very large eye sockets and was found in the far north.1 2

This plesiosaur is one of the youngest cryptoclidids known from the Boreal region, along with Abyssosaurus.1 2

The holotype specimen includes a nearly complete skull and parts of the body, which is rare for cryptoclidid plesiosaurs.2

Ophthalmothule had a long neck with all its neck bones found still connected, helping scientists study how plesiosaurs moved their necks.2

Its large eyes may have helped it see better in dim light, either in deep water or while hunting at night.1 2

Ophthalmothule 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Ophthalmothule 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: Ophthalmothule
命名者: Roberts et al. 20204
類群: 蛇頸龍類
科 / 演化支: Cryptoclididae4
分類: Plesiosauria > Sauropterygia4
岩石的年代: 149 到 137 百萬年 (Tithonian / Berriasian)4
岩層: Agardhfjellet4
國家: 挪威4
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 1 筆4
發現: Ophthalmothule was named in 2020 by Roberts and colleagues. The fossil was dug up in 2012 from Mount Wiman on Spitsbergen, Norway, from rocks that span the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary.2 3
仍有爭議: Scientists are not sure whether the Ophthalmothule fossil comes from the very end of the Jurassic or the very beginning of the Cretaceous, because the rock layers are very compressed.2