Cryptoclidus Pronunciation

Fun Facts

• ✓Cryptoclidus had roughly 100 to 130 slender interlocking teeth, each one curved inward so that once a fish entered its jaws, there was virtually no way out.
• ✓Despite living in what is now England, Cryptoclidus swam in a warm shallow sea called the Jurassic Seaway about 160 million years ago, when Britain was located much closer to the equator than it is today.
• ✓Cryptoclidus fossils have been found as far apart as England and Cuba, suggesting these animals were widespread ocean travelers across the ancient Jurassic sea.
• ✓Scientists studying plesiosaur locomotion believe Cryptoclidus likely flew through the water using all four flippers simultaneously, the way sea turtles do today, rather than rowing like a kayaker.
• ✓Cryptoclidus appeared in the 1999 BBC television series Walking with Dinosaurs, introducing millions of viewers to this real prehistoric ocean predator, though it was technically featured in the companion Sea Monsters special.