Homoeosaurus
Extinct genus of reptiles
Homoeosaurus is an extinct genus of rhynchocephalian reptile, known from the Late Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous of Europe, with specimens being reported from France (Canjuers Lagerstatte), England (Purbeck Group) and Germany (Solnhofen Limestone). Several species have been described within the genus, based on varying proportions of the limb bones to the body length based on the presacral vertebrae. Specimen C.M.6438 of H. maximiliani from Germany has a total length of around 17 centimetres (6.7 in), with a skull length of about 1.7 centimetres (0.67 in). In comparison to other rhynchocephalians, the limbs are proportionally long. Recent studies have classified Homoeosaurus as a member of Neosphenodontia, with some studies including it as part of the clade Leptorhynchia, also including sapheosaurs, pleurosaurs, Kallimodon and Vadasaurus. Despite being found in aquatic deposits, it is suggested to have been terrestrial. Analysis of its limb bone morphology suggests that it was probably capable of climbing and may have climbed trees and/or rocky surfaces at least some of the time. It is thought to have been a carnivore/insectivore. One specimen was found as stomach contents of the fish Belonostomus.
Cladogram after Beccari et al. 2025:
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Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Homoeosaurus”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Homeosaurus maximiliani, lizard, Jurassic, Solnhofen Limestone, Eichstatt, Bavaria, Germany - Houston Museum of Natural Science - DSC01988.JPG by Daderot, CC0
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