What were Placodonts?
Q: What were Placodonts?
A: Placodonts were a group of Triassic marine reptiles which had heavy flat teeth.
Q: What were the teeth of Placodonts used for?
A: The teeth of Placodonts were used for crushing shellfish.
Q: What group did Placodonts belong to?
A: Placodonts belonged to the Order Sauropterygia, the group that includes Plesiosaurs.
Q: What was the size range of Placodonts?
A: Placodonts were mostly between 1 to 2 metres (3 to 7 ft) in length, up to a maximum 3 metres (10 ft) long.
Q: When did Placodonts live?
A: Placodonts lived in marine sediments of the Middle and Upper Triassic, 235-250 million years ago.
Q: Why did Placodonts go extinct?
A: Placodonts went extinct at the end of the Triassic, likely due to some event that disturbed their lifestyle. The end-Triassic had several extinction events which are not well understood.
Q: When was the first Placodont specimen discovered?
A: The first Placodont specimen was discovered in 1830, and the group was very widely distributed.
