What are Ophthalmosauridae?
Q: What are Ophthalmosauridae?
A: Ophthalmosauridae were a family of Ichthyosaurs which lived from the Middle Jurassic to the Upper Cretaceous period.
Q: How many lineages are there within Ophthalmosauridae?
A: Within Ophthalmosauridae there are two lineages.
Q: What are the genera that survived the end-Jurassic extinction event?
A: The genera that survived the end-Jurassic extinction event are Caypullisaurus, Maiaspondylus, and Platypterygius.
Q: Did Ophthalmosauridae have a worldwide distribution?
A: Yes, they did have a worldwide distribution.
Q: When did Platypterygius become extinct?
A: Platypterygius became extinct about 30 million years before the end of the Upper Cretaceous period.
Q: What caused the extinction of Platypterygius?
A: The extinction of Platypterygius happened when there was a deep ocean anoxic event, which wiped out all the animals below pelagic waters. Ichthyosaurs, being reptiles, came to the surface to breath, but the extinction event removed their prey species.
Q: Which are the genera in the lineage that includes Aegirosaurus and Ophthalmosaurus?
A: The lineage that includes Aegirosaurus and Ophthalmosaurus includes only those two genera.
