Cymbospondylus buchseri

Cymbospondylus was a large, early ichthyosaur. Unlike later more derived varieties, Cymbospondylus had a long, serpentine body and tail that suggests the animal was more of a slow and steady cruiser than it's later, more hydrodynamically inclined relatives. Members of this genus varied in size, with C. buchseri being one of the larger species; although there are also larger ones known. This large size might imply that Cymbospondylus was more macropredatory than other ichthyosaurs; preying on small and medium-sized marine reptiles as well as fish and squid. Cymbospondylus lived in the seas of what is now Germany and Nevada during the Mid-Late Triassic.