Californosaurus
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Californosaurus Fossil range: Late Triassic |
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Californosaurus perrini
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Californosaurus (meaning "California lizard") was an ichthyosaur, an extinct water-dwelling reptile that lived during the time of the dinosaurs. Californosaurus (also called Toretocnemus, Delphinosaurus) was 10 feet (3 m) long. It had four paddle-shaped flippers and sharp teeth in long, pointed jaws (looking a bit like a dolphin). This fish-eater lived during the late Triassic period in seas that covered what is now California. Californosaurus was named by Kuhn in 1934. It was not a dinosaur, but another type of extinct reptile.