Nothosauroidea (extinct order) en

Extinct order of fossil marine reptiles found chiefly in Europe and closely resembling the later plesiosaurs, but classified as a distinct order; dating to the Triassic age. Distinguished by a palate that was closed with the air passages being separated from the food passages, a long and flat skull with large openings, numerous pointed teeth along the margins of the jaws, a slender body, long neck and tail, and long limbs. Although the animal was aquatic, the limbs were less specialized for swimming than they were in more advanced sauropterygians.