Order Sauropterygia (Noun)
Meaning
Extinct marine reptiles: plesiosaurs; nothosaurs.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- The order Sauropterygia is a group of extinct marine reptiles that includes plesiosaurs and nothosaurs.
- Sauropterygia is a clade of marine reptiles that dominated the oceans during the Triassic period.
- The earliest known members of the order Sauropterygia date back to the Early Triassic, around 245 million years ago.
- Plesiosaurs, a subgroup of Sauropterygia, were characterized by their long necks and four flippers.
- Nothosaurs, another subgroup of Sauropterygia, were smaller and more fish-like than plesiosaurs.