Protorosauria

Protorosauria is an extinct group of archosauromorph reptiles from the latest Permian (Changhsingian stage) to the early Late Triassic (Carnian stage) of Asia, Europe, North America. Protorosaurs are distinguished by their long necks formed by elongated cervical vertebrae, which have ribs that extend backward to the vertebrae behind them. Protorosaurs also have a gap between the quadrate bones and the jugal bones in the back of the skull near the jaw joint, making their skulls resemble those of lizards. A wide variety of Permian and Triassic reptiles have been classified within Protorosauria, including the arboreal gliding reptile Sharovipteryx and the aquatic tanystropheids, which have extremely long necks. Another enigmatic group of Triassic reptiles called Drepanosauridae has usually been classified as belonging to the Protorosauria. Pterosaurs have also been proposed as protorosaurs or close relatives of them, although they are now regarded as a more derived group of archosaurs. For more information, visit the Wikipedia entry. Get back to Reptiles

phylum	Chordata	Tanystropheus was a 6 metre (20 ft) long reptile that dated from the Middle Triassic period. It is recognizable by its extremely elongated neck, which measured 3 metres (10 ft) long - longer than its body and tail combined. For more information, visit the Wikipedia entry. Get back to Protorosauria
clade	Diapsida
order	Protorosauria
family	Tanystropheidae
genus	Tanystropheus
Temporal range	Middle Triassic

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