Placodus was a genus of 2.5 metre (6.5 foot) long marine reptiles, belonging to the order Placodontia, which swam in the shallow seas of the early to middle Triassic period (210 million years ago). The robust skull and teeth of Placodus show that they were specialized for a durophagous diet of shellfish such as bivalves. These animals would have plucked their hard-shelled benthic invertebrate prey from the substrate with protruding front teeth, and once in their mouths, crushed them with their back teeth. Before the animals' anatomy was known, they were regarded as fishes' teeth. Similar smaller teeth were present on the palatine bones. Chisel-like incisors protruded from the anterior margin of the snout. The Early Triassic (also known as Lower Triassic, Buntsandstein, or Scythian) is the first of three epochs of the Triassic period. ... The Middle Triassic (also known as Muschelkalk) is the second of three epochs of the Triassic period. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... FOSSIL is a standard for allowing serial communication for telecommunications programs under DOS. FOSSIL is an acronym for Fido Opus Seadog Standard Interface Layer. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Subclasses Anapsida Diapsida Synonyms Reptilia Laurenti, 1768 Reptiles are tetrapods and amniotes, animals whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane, and members of the class Sauropsida. ... Groups ?Placodontia Pachypleurosauridae Nothosauridae    Plesiosauria Sauropterygia (lizard flippers) is a group of very successful aquatic reptiles that flourished during the Age of the Dinosaurs before they became extinct. ... Placodonts were a group of marine reptiles that lived during the Triassic period, becoming extinct at the end of the period. ... Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840–April 12, 1897) was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. ... Type specimens When a new species is discovered, more important than creating a new and unique name for the species is developing a reasonably detailed description. ... Subclasses Anapsida Diapsida Synonyms Reptilia Laurenti, 1768 Reptiles are tetrapods and amniotes, animals whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane, and members of the class Sauropsida. ... Placodonts were a group of marine reptiles that lived during the Triassic period, becoming extinct at the end of the period. ... The Triassic is a geologic period that extends from about 251 ± 0. ... In marine geology and biology, benthos are the organisms and habitats of the sea floor; in freshwater biology they are the organisms and habitats of the bottoms of lakes, rivers, and creeks. ... Invertebrate is a term that describes any animal without a spinal column. ... The palatine bone is a bone situated at the back part of the nasal cavity between the maxilla and the pterygoid process of the sphenoid. ... Steel woodworking chisel. ... Incisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. ... In zootomy, several terms are used to describe the location of organs and other structures in the body of bilateral animals. ...

Placodus and its relatives were not as well-adapted to aquatic life as some later reptile groups, like the closely related plesiosaurs. Their flattened tails and short legs, which probably ended in webbed feet, would have been their main means of propulsion in the water. The parietal eye on top of the head assisted the animal with orientation rather than its vision and is presence is regarded as quite a primitive characteristic. The vertebral processes of Placodus dove-tailed into each other and were firmly connected, so that the trunk was rigid. The abdomen was covered with a special armor formed of the bent, right-angled abdominal ribs. Equipped with dense bones, heavy belly ribs, and a row of bony knobs above the backbone, Placodus were heavily built and negatively buoyant creatures that would have had no trouble staying on the seafloor to feed. This body "armour" offered protection from predators as well, but would have also hampered mobility on land, making Placodus slow and clumsy out of water. It was actually a terrestrial animal, but ventured to the sea in search of food. Molluscs, brachiopods, crustaceans and other inhabitants of the seabed formed its staple diet. An estuary mouth and coastal waters, part of an aquatic ecosystem. ... Families Plesiosaurs (IPA ) (Greek: plesios, near to + sauros, lizard) were large, carnivorous aquatic reptiles. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... In computing, a process is, roughly speaking, a task being run by a computer, often simultaneously with many other tasks. ... This article is about the bones called ribs. ... Classes Caudofoveata Aplacophora Polyplacophora - Chitons Monoplacophora Bivalvia - Bivalves Scaphopoda - Tusk shells Gastropoda - Snails and Slugs Cephalopoda - Squids, Octopuses, etc. ... Classes Lingulata Paterinata (extinct) Craniforma Chileata (extinct) Obolellata (extinct) Kutorginata (extinct) Strophomenata (extinct) Rhynchonellata Brachiopods (from Latin bracchium, arm + New Latin -poda, foot) make up one of the major animal phyla, Brachiopoda. ... Classes Remipedia Cephalocarida Branchiopoda Ostracoda Maxillopoda Malacostraca The crustaceans (Crustacea) are a large group of arthropods (55,000 species), usually treated as a subphylum. ...

Fossils of Placodus have been found in Europe (the Alps).

Popular Culture

A modified Placodus (along with a more inaccurate Metriorhynchus) appeared in the 2006 movie Ice Age 2. Paleo Template Project Metriorhynchus was an prehistoric marine crocodile that lived in the Jurassic Period. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Ice Age 2: The Meltdown is a sequel to the 2002 computer-animated film Ice Age. ...