Stenopterygius sp.
Jaekel, 1904
B-I-29 MNHN.F.HLZ62
Sauropsida, Ichthyosauria, Thunosauria, Stenopterygiidae
Lower Jurassic, Toarcian, - 183 to - 182 million years
Holzmaden, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Stenopterygius is a genus of ichthyosaur found in European Jurassic sediments of Toarcian and Aalenian ages. Its distribution extends from Europe to South America.
In Europe, representatives of this genus have been discovered in France and England, but also in Germany where hundreds of specimens have been found in Toarcian deposits of Baden-Württemberg.
Young animals had long, slender jaws with small, pointed teeth. Older adults may have been toothless.
The eyesight of ichthyosaurs was adapted to low levels of light, allowing them to search for food in the depths of the ocean. The orbits were very large and a sclerotic ring provided extra support for the eyes. The orbits of the ichthyosaurs, with a diameter of up to 25 centimeters, are proportionally the largest of all vertebrates.
Specimen acquired in 1849 through an exchange with the Musée du Val de Grâce.