Kimmerosaurus is a cryptoclidid plesiosaurian reptile from the Middle Jurassic of the United Kingdom. It was named in 1981 by David S. Brown. It has been very confusing, as people thought its remains were thought to belong to those of a bigger Late Jurassic cryptoclidid, right before it was discovered that they were different enough to keep the genus alive.
Physiology[]
Kimmerosaurus was a plesiosaur with a bulky body, 4 flippers, a short tail with a small fin on its end, a moderately long neck, and a small head with a mouth filled with sharp, interlocking teeth. Its body would have been covered in scaly skin.
Diet[]
Kimmerosaurus was a predator, preying on fish and cephalopods. Its sharp teeth were used to get a hold of slippery prey, and its long neck would have helped it snake into schools of fish.
Ecology[]
Not much is known about Kimmerosaurus.
In popular culture[]
Kimmerosaurus was featured in the 4th episode of the 2011 documentary Planet Dinosaur, where it is said to be 6 meters long (this was due to the thought that its remains were similar to the aforementioned bigger cryptoclidid at the time). In the episode itself, a small squadron of the cryptoclidids peacefully hunt angel sharks before a Pliosaurus shows up to hunt them; the smaller plesiosaurs flee to their nursery and away from the pliosaurid's jaws the first two times, but a lone individual swimming in the open ocean eventually gets caught and killed by the giant aquatic predator.