Fun Teleosaurus Facts For Kids
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Do you find prehistoric reptiles fascinating? Then here we have all the information on the Teleosaurus.
The Teleosaurus were a species of marine reptile that primarily lived in the ocean, but their anatomy suggests that they traveled along the shorelines in lagoons and atolls as well. They looked extremely similar to the modern-day gharials.
They had long and narrow jaws, long and slender bodies, needle-like sharp teeth, extremely short limbs, a sinuous tail, and scutes on their body. They had some characteristics other than their looks which were similar to gharials as well, similar to gharials they were also piscivorous.
These piscivorous species feed on fish. Teleosaurus probably preyed on other marine species as well, but primarily they used to feed on fish and squids.
According to findings, Teleosaurus used to live in England 171 million years ago. Their extinction occurred 164 million years ago, during the Callovian age of the middle Jurassic period.
Read on to know more about the Teleosaurus and if you like this article, then also check out Palaeosaurus and Ornithosuchus.
Teleosaurus Interesting Facts
Was the Teleosaurus a dinosaur?
Teleosaurus was not a dinosaur, they were rather a species of crocodyliforms. They lived in prehistoric times along with dinosaurs. These reptiles have evolved into modern-day crocodilians.
How do you pronounce 'Teleosaurus'?
The phonetic pronunciation of 'Teleosaurus' is 'Tel-e-oh-sore-us'.
What type of prehistoric reptile was a Teleosaurus?
'Teleosaurus' was a species of prehistoric crocodyliform that belonged to the family Teleosauridae.
In which geological period did the Teleosaurus live?
Teleosaurus came into being on earth around 171 million years ago in the Aalenian age of the middle Jurassic period during the Mesozoic era.
When did the Teleosaurus become Extinct?
It's believed that the Teleosaurus went Extinct around 164 million years ago when the Callovian age of the middle Jurassic period during the Mesozoic era ended. The Jurassic period took place during the middle of the Mesozoic era.
Quite a few extinction events happened in that period, but none happened in the Callovian age. Hence, it's still unknown why Teleosaurus went Extinct.
Where did a Teleosaurus live?
All the fossils of the Teleosaurus to date have been found in England. That's why it's assumed that they probably lived in England.
What was a Teleosaurus' habitat?
Teleosaurus were primarily marine animals and lived in oceans. However, their discovered specimens of the Teleosaurus suggest that they also used to frequent the shorelines of the oceans. They probably even stayed out of the water on the coastal areas, lagoons, or atolls for quite some time.
Who did a Teleosaurus live with?
Due to a lack of data, it's not known whether the Teleosaurus lived solitary lives or in groups.
How long did a Teleosaurus live?
The exact lifespan of the Teleosaurus is not known. However, some other crocodyliforms, like the Sarcosuchus, had a lifespan of about 50-60 years on average. We can assume that the lifespan of the Teleosaurus was somewhat near this number.
How did they reproduce?
Quite a few bones of the Teleosaurus have been found to date. However, the fact still remains that they lived about 171 million years ago.
Hence, even though scientists have done a large amount of research on the gathered specimens of the Teleosaurus, not much data could have been found on their reproduction. The only thing we know is that they were oviparous in nature.
Oviparous beings or animals give birth to their young ones by laying a number of eggs. It's assumed that Teleosaurus also gave birth to their juveniles by laying eggs.
Teleosaurus Fun Facts
What did a Teleosaurus look like?
The Teleosaurus was quite a long body that looked similar to modern-day gharials. Along with a long and slender body, they also had extraordinarily long and narrow jaws.
They had a sinuous tail and very short forelimbs and hindlimbs, which helped them swim about in the water in an easy manner. They had interlocking scutes as a form of a shield on their belly and two rows of large-sized scutes that ran from their neck to their tail.
They also had needle-like teeth that helped them catch prey.
How many bones did a Teleosaurus have?
Even though many fossils of the Teleosaurus have been found, no complete information on the crocodyliform could be made. Hence, the exact number of bones they had is still unknown.
How did they communicate?
Due to a lack of data, it's not known how Teleosaurus communicated. However, Teleosaurus had many similarities with modern-day gharials, so we can get an overall idea of how they communicated from gharials.
Gharials make sounds like buzzing or hissing when they are fighting during breeding season or defending their territory. The behavior of the Teleosaurus might have also been the same.
How big was a Teleosaurus?
An adult Teleosaurus could grow up to about 9.8 ft (3 m) in length. They were about four times shorter than Deinosuchus, the largest known crocodyliform. Deinosuchus was about 36 ft (11 m) in length.
How fast could a Teleosaurus move?
The exact speed at which Teleosaurus could move is not known. However, the Teleosaurus were prehistoric reptiles that had very small forelimbs and hindlimbs. This probably worked as a disadvantage to them when moving. They probably moved at a slow pace on land, but they were known to be great swimmers.
How much did a Teleosaurus weigh?
The exact weight of the Teleosaurus is not known. However, the largest crocodyliform, the Sarcosuchus, weighed about 8.8 ton (8000 kg) on average. Hence, Teleosaurus probably weighed less than that.
What were the male and female names of the species?
Males and females don't have any specific names.
What would you call a baby Teleosaurus?
A baby Teleosaurus was called a juvenile.
What did they eat?
The Teleosaurus was carnivorous in nature. They were apex predators that preyed on marine animals for food.
They used to primarily feed on different species of fish and squid. They probably also ate other marine species than fish and squid, but they were primarily piscivorous. They had long jaws and sharp teeth along with their ability to swim remarkably well, they could easily catch fish and squid.
How aggressive were they?
They were carnivorous, so they probably were aggressive towards other species that they fed upon. It's still unknown whether they were aggressive towards others of their own species. They could have become aggressive while they were defending their territory, fighting with others to mate, and when they were threatened in some way.
Did you know...
The Teleosaurus skeleton suggests that they had quite a few characteristics with modern-day gharials, but Teleosaurus did not evolve into the gharials of today. This similar case of evolution is called 'convergent evolution'.
This happens when species that are not of the same lineage evolve to have similar traits owing to some common environmental issue. In this case, it was their diet as both species are primarily piscivorous.
Two incredible Teleosaurus model statues can be seen in Crystal Palace Park in England.
The genus of the Teleosaurus was once considered a wastebasket taxon. The species that don't fit in other families or genus are usually classified in the wastebasket taxon. Later, the genus Teleosaurus was made with only species Teleosaurus cadomensis.
What species of Teleosaurus are there?
Only the species Teleosaurus cadomensis exists in their genus Teleosaurus. No other species under the genus has been found.
What fossils are the Teleosaurus known from?
The Teleosaurus is primarily known from a single fossil of a quarter of their skull. Some other fossils other than their skull have also been found, but they are of other fragmentary bones of their body.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly prehistoric animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Woolungasaurus interesting facts, or Seitaad facts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Mosasaurus coloring pages.
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The second image is by JaviDex
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