noun
- An extinct marine reptile of the order Ichthyosauria, resembling a dolphin with a long snout and paddle-like limbs, common during the Mesozoic Era.
Usage: paleontology; often used in scientific and educational contexts
adjective
- Of, relating to, or characteristic of ichthyosaurs or the order Ichthyosauria.
Usage: paleontology
Examples
- The museum's fossil collection includes several well-preserved ichthyosaurian skeletons.
- Ichthyosaurians were among the most successful marine predators of the Mesozoic Era.
- Scientists discovered ichthyosaurian remains in rocks dating back 250 million years.
- The ichthyosaurian body plan was perfectly adapted for life in ancient oceans.
- This ichthyosaurian specimen shows remarkable detail in the fin structure.
- Ichthyosaurians gave birth to live young, unlike most other reptiles of their time.