恐龍卡第 1483 張，共 2 027 張

Proteosaurus

名字的意思： “proteus lizard, named after the proteus salamander because of its backbone shape”1

吃：肉魚龍類侏羅紀早期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Proteosaurus was an ancient marine reptile that swam in the seas over 190 million years ago. It looked a bit like a dolphin with a long snout and lots of sharp teeth. It was one of the first complete ichthyosaur skeletons ever found!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

201 到 193 百萬年前6

侏羅紀早期

化石發現地

Lyme Regis, England, and also in Belgium1 2

長度

0.895 到 0.945 m (2.9 到 3.1 ft)3

最高速度

時速約 21 公里（13 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 2 隻家貓從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 5 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長能在 8.6 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Proteosaurus 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)

Proteosaurus 時速約 21 公里 (13 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

Proteosaurus was named by Sir Everard Home in 1819, but the name didn't stick. Today scientists call it Ichthyosaurus platyodon instead.2 1

The first complete skeleton of Proteosaurus was discovered by Mary Anning in 1818 in Lyme Regis, England. She was only about 19 years old at the time.1

Sir Everard Home thought Proteosaurus was a link between salamanders and lizards in the 'Great Chain of Being'. That's why he gave it a name that means 'proteus lizard'.1

The original Proteosaurus skeleton was bought by the Royal College of Surgeons for £100 in 1819. Sadly, it was destroyed during a World War Two air raid in May 1941.1

Proteosaurus lived during the Early Jurassic period, between about 201 and 193 million years ago, in the Hettangian and Sinemurian ages.2

Fossils of Proteosaurus have been found in the Blue Lias formation in England and in Luxembourg, Belgium. These rocks were once the bottom of a warm, shallow sea.2

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

?How big was Proteosaurus?

The largest Ichthyosaurus species, I. somersetensis, reached about 3 to 3.3 metres (9.8 to 10.8 feet) long. Other species were smaller, like I. communis at up to 2 metres (6.6 feet).4

?What did Proteosaurus eat?

It ate fish and squid-like animals called belemnites. Stomach contents show it was a fast swimmer that chased its prey.4

?Did Proteosaurus give birth to live young?

Yes. Fossil evidence shows that Ichthyosaurus gave birth to live babies, not eggs. Some fossils even have baby skeletons inside the mother.4

?Is Proteosaurus a dinosaur?

No, it is not a dinosaur. It is a marine reptile called an ichthyosaur that lived in the sea.4

?When did Proteosaurus live?

It lived during the Early Jurassic period, between about 201 and 193 million years ago.4

?Where was Proteosaurus found?

The first complete skeleton was found in Lyme Regis, England, by Mary Anning in 1818. Fossils have also been found in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany.4 1

?Why is it called Proteosaurus?

Sir Everard Home named it Proteosaurus because he thought it was a link between a salamander (genus Proteus) and a lizard (sauros in Greek). The name means 'proteus lizard'.1

?What happened to the original Proteosaurus fossil?

The original skeleton was destroyed during a World War Two air raid in May 1941. But two casts of it were rediscovered in 2022 in the USA and Germany.5

迷思破解王

迷思： Proteosaurus was a dinosaur.

真相： Proteosaurus was an ichthyosaur, a marine reptile that lived in the sea. It was not a dinosaur. Dinosaurs lived on land.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Proteosaurus
命名者: Home 18196
類群: 魚龍類
科 / 演化支: Proteosauridae6
分類: Ichthyosauria > Ichthyosauromorpha6
岩石的年代: 201 到 193 百萬年 (Hettangian / Sinemurian)6
岩層: Blue Lias, Luxembourg6
國家: 英國, 比利時6
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 6 筆6
發現: The first complete skeleton of Proteosaurus was found by Mary Anning in 1818 in Lyme Regis, England. Sir Everard Home named it Proteosaurus in 1819.1
仍有爭議: Scientists are not sure exactly how Proteosaurus gave birth. But other ichthyosaurs gave birth to live young in the water, so Proteosaurus probably did too.2