Ophthalmosaurus
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| iOpthalmosaurus
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| Ophthalmosaurus discus Seeley, 1874 |
Ophthalmosaurus (meaning “eye lizard” in Greek) was an ichthyosaur known for its considerably big eyes. Ichthyosaurs were mackerel or tuna-like reptiles that lived in the seas of the Mesozoic era. They ranged in size from toddler-sized to T. rex-sized. They fed on fish and mollusks. They were not fish, so they had to come up for air, but they could dive to great depths. They gave birth to live young called pups since they couldn’t go on the beach to lay eggs, unlike plesiosaurs and turtles. Ophthalmosaurus and other ichthyosaurs gave birth to their pups tail-first to avoid drowning them. It is uncertain where these creatures evolved from; although it is certain that they evolved from terrestrial rather than aquatic reptiles. The first fossil was discovered in 1874 by British paleontologist Harry Seeley, who first divided dinosaurs into Saurischia and Ornithischia.
Ophthalmosaurus had a body shaped like a tear-drop and a caudal fin like a half-moon. Its front limbs were more developed than the back ones, which suggested that the front fins did the steering while the tail did the propelling. However, Ophthalmosaurus' claim to fame is its eyes. They were large in proportion to the 11½ foot body, measuring 4 inches in diameter. They occupied almost all of the space of the skull.
Ophthalmosaurus was common in the Late Jurassic period, about 165-150 million years ago. Because of its eyes, it was probably a night hunter that ate fish and squid. Several preserved skeletons have been found in a variety of places, including countries in Europe, North America, and South America. Evidence of bony plates surrounding the eyeballs suggests that it could dive to great depths, because the plates would protect the eyeballs from the pressure of the water. Also, skeletons of unhatched young have been found in over fifty females on fossil finds. The litter number ranged from two to eleven.
[edit] In popular culture
Opthalmosaurus was featured in the third episode of the BBC television series Walking With Dinosaurs, with a male pup being one of the main characters.
