France

Onchopristis

Onchopristis was a 4 meter (13 foot) long sawfish which lived during the middle Cretaceous Period approximately 105-95 million years ago. Onchopristis belonged to the sub-order Sclerorhynchoidei of the order Rajiformes, “ray-shaped”. Despite a superficial resemblance to a modern-day sawfish,… Read More ›

Scelidosaurus

Scelidosaurus was a 12 foot long armored dinosaur which lived in Europe (and also possibly in North America) during the early Jurassic Period 200-195 million years ago. Scelidosaurus is the most well-known European early Jurassic dinosaur because numerous specimens have… Read More ›

Platypterygius

Platypterygius, meaning “flat fin”, was a genus of ichthyosaur which lived during the middle of the Cretaceous Period approximately 115-95 million years ago. It was one of the last ichthyosaurs to exist before the entire group went extinct. Traditionally treated… Read More ›

Cryptoclidus

Cryptoclidus was a 15 foot long plesiosaur which inhabited the prehistoric Tethys Sea, which once covered much of Europe, during the middle of the Jurassic Period 165-160 million years ago. Fossils of Cryptoclidus have been found within southern England and… Read More ›

Leedsichthys

Leedsichthys was a very large prehistoric saltwater fish which lived during the middle and late Jurassic Period, circa 165-150 million years ago. It was named in 1889 in honor of Alfred N. Leeds who found the first specimen. Leedsichthys belonged… Read More ›

Aegirosaurus

Aegirosaurus leptospondylus was a 6 foot long ichthyosaur which lived in the seas around Europe during the late Jurassic Period and early Cretaceous Period, roughly 147-135 million years ago. Aegirosaurus belonged to a family of ichthyosaurs called the ophthalmosaurids (Bardet… Read More ›