Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
328 / Mesozoic
Atopodentatus
Atopodentatus unicus
A hammer-shaped snout scraped algae before needle teeth filtered the fragments.
View original image · 1536 × 1024- Time range
- About 244 million years ago
- Final stage
- Middle Triassic
- Geographic range
- Warm shallow seas · Yunnan, China
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Atopodentatus?
Atopodentatus (Atopodentatus unicus) was an extinct organism known from About 244 million years ago, with a range in Warm shallow seas · Yunnan, China.
Life and ecology
This marine reptile was a specialized herbivore using two distinct tooth sets.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Atopodentatus disappear?
Rapid turnover among Triassic marine reptiles is the broad context, but it does not by itself explain why this unusual branch disappeared.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Atopodentatus?
A correctly reassembled skull revealed the hammer snout and feeding system.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Rewrote an extinction cause that presented environmental or faunal turnover as established; it is now given as context the record does not prove.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS