Rhynchosaurs: Last Seen in the Triassic

Fossilised skull of a rhynchosaur from Warwickshire Museum collections.

Image courtesy of Jon Radley

Footprints of a rhynchosaur from Warwickshire Museum collections.

Image courtesy of Jon Radley

Rhynchosaurs were reptiles that were widespread in the Triassic Period, their fossil remains have been found in North and South America, Europe, Africa, Madagascar, and India. The Warwickshire Museum has examples of fossilised footprints of a rhynchosaur, from walking along a muddy river bank.

Herbivores

They were all herbivores, eating plants and roots. They had rows of small teeth adapted to eating tough roots and plants, cutting and crushing their food. Their back feet had long claws that would have been good for digging with, possibly for roots and tubers to eat. This is unusual as most animals that dig have the longer digging claws on their front feet.

Found in Warwickshire

A partial skull of the rhynchosaur species Langeronyx brodiei has been found in Warwickshire and can be found in the Warwickshire Museum collections, as well as the footprints of a rhynchosaur.