What is an Ophthalmosaurus?
Q: What is an Ophthalmosaurus?
A: Ophthalmosaurus is an ichthyosaur with large eyes that lived during the Upper Jurassic period.
Q: Where have Ophthalmosaurus fossils been found?
A: Fossils of Ophthalmosaurus have been found in Europe, North America, and Argentina.
Q: What is unique about Ophthalmosaurus' eyes?
A: Ophthalmosaurus had the largest eyes of any vertebrate relative to its body size, with eyes that were 4 inches in diameter and occupied most of the space in the skull.
Q: How were Ophthalmosaurus' eyes protected?
A: Ophthalmosaurus' eyes were protected by bony plates called sclerotic rings, which helped maintain the shape of the eyeballs against water pressure at depth.
Q: What does the size of Ophthalmosaurus' eyes suggest about its hunting habits?
A: The size of Ophthalmosaurus' eyes suggests that it hunted at a depth where there is not much light or that it may have hunted at night when a prey species was more active.
Q: How long could an Ophthalmosaurus stay submerged?
A: Calculations suggest that a typical Ophthalmosaurus could stay submerged for approximately 20 minutes or more.
Q: When did Ophthalmosaurus become extinct?
A: Ophthalmosaurus became extinct at the end of the Jurassic period, although other members of its family continued into the Upper Cretaceous.
