alphynix: Cartorhynchus lenticarpus, a marine reptile from the Early Triassic of China (~248 mya). A
alphynix: Cartorhynchus lenticarpus, a marine reptile from the Early Triassic of China (~248 mya). About 40cm long (1′3″), it was an early member of the ichthyosauriformes – probably not a direct ancestor of the true ichthyosaurs, but very closely related to them. Only recently discovered, with a scientific description published in 2014, it gives us a good idea of what ichthyosaur transitional forms looked like, representing an amphibious point in their evolution before they took fully to the water. Cartorhynchus was already well-adapted for swimming, with flipper-like limbs and dense bones, but it also still had flexible wrist joints allowing it to support its body weight and haul out onto land like modern sea lions. Unlike its known relatives it had a very short snout, with its jaws seeming to be specialized for suction feeding – using water pressure differences to draw small prey straight into its mouth. -- source link
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