SilesianTriassic

Sauropterygia indet. cf. Nothosaurus

Middle Triassic, Lower Muschelkalk (Anisian), Lower Gogolin Beds, Upper Silesia, Poland

These types of teeth are traditionally designed as the genus Nothosaurus. This is a gross simplification. According to a paleontologist friend of mine, the four groups of Triassic reptiles have similar teeth (Nothosaurus, Germanosaurus, Cymatosaurus and Lamprosauroides) and we can’t really tell them apart. Therefore, unless there are other reasons, I personally label them Sauropterygia (again, that’s an oversimplification).

This specimen is one of the largest I have found in the Lower Muschelkalk, I usually find much smaller ones.