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Atopodentatus

Atopodentatus is an extinct genus of basal sauropterygian known from the early Middle Triassic (Anisian) of Guanling Formation in Luoping County, Yunnan Province, southwestern China. It contains a single species, Atopodentatus unicus. It is thought to have lived between 247 and 240 million years ago, during the Middle Triassic period, about six million years after the Permian extinction. Atopodentatus was an herbivorous marine reptile, although marine reptiles are usually omnivores or carnivores.

Description
Atopodentatus was a medium-sized reptile measuring about long. Originally, the upper mandible of Atopodentatus was believed to have small teeth running along the jawline, and then up along a vertical split in the middle of the upper jaw. This gave the upper jaw the appearance of a "zipper smile of little teeth". The upper jaw was believed to have hooked downwards. ==Discovery and naming==
Discovery and naming
The genus name Atopodentatus is derived from the Ancient Greek (), meaning "unusual", combined with Latin , "toothed", referring to the unusual arrangement and shape of the teeth. The specific name "unicus" is also in reference to its unique anatomy. ==Palaeoecology ==
Palaeoecology
Due to its bizarre dentition, Atopodentatus was formerly considered to be a filter feeder which fed on invertebrates along the sea-bottom. Atopodentatus is the earliest known herbivorous marine reptile by about 8 million years. == Notes ==
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