Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
357 / Mesozoic
Karaurus
Karaurus sharovi
A broad head, short trunk and long tail show the salamander plan already well established.
View original image · 1600 × 1067- Time range
- About 167–157 million years ago
- Final stage
- Late Jurassic
- Geographic range
- Woodland lakeshores · Kazakhstan
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Karaurus?
Karaurus (Karaurus sharovi) was an extinct organism known from About 167–157 million years ago, with a range in Woodland lakeshores · Kazakhstan.
Life and ecology
Karaurus stayed close to freshwater and ate aquatic insects and other small prey.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Karaurus disappear?
Salamander lineages turned over after the Jurassic, but this does not establish why the genus disappeared.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Karaurus?
A near-complete skeleton and soft outline preserve the skull, trunk and tail proportions.
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