Dolichosaurus

Name: Dolichosaurus ‭(‬Long snouted lizard‭)‬.
Phonetic: Dol-le-ko-sore-us.
Named By: Richard Owen‭ ‬-‭ ‬1851.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Squamata,‭ ‬Scleroglossa,‭ ‬Dolichosauridae.
Species: D.‭ ‬longicollis‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Carnivore/Piscivore.
Size: Around‭ ‬1.5‭ ‬meters long.
Known locations: England.
Time period: Cenomanian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Partial remains.

       Related to the mosasaurs,‭ ‬the exact classification of Dolichosaurus is a little uncertain with‭ ‬its exact closeness to the Mosasauridae a little uncertain.‭ ‬Dolichosaurus is noted for having‭ ‬a long thin build and is speculated to have been a weak swimmer.‭ ‬This in turn has led to past speculation that it may have been semi aquatic,‭ ‬occasionally returning to the land like the much earlier nothosaurs of the Triassic.

Further reading
- Monograph on the fossil Reptilia of the Cretaceous Formations. Part I. Chelonia (Lacertilia, etc.). - The Palaeontographical Society, London 1851:1-118. - Richard Owen - 1851.
- On The Aquatic Squamate Dolichosaurus longicollis Owen, 1850 (Cenomanian, Upper Cretaceous), and the Evolution of Elongate Necks in Squamates. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 20 (4), p720-735. - Michael W. Caldwell - 2000.

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