Chaohusaurus geishanensis

Chaohusaurus geishanensis, another primitive ichthyosaur from the lower Triassic of China. Reached a length of 1.8 meters, although previously its length was estimated at half-meter, but this estimate was based on the skeletons of young animals. Had teeth of different shapes (pointed and the onion-shaped) that could be adapted to eating shellfish. Outwardly, he was still not so fish-like, like later ichthyosaurs.

An interesting feature of Chaohusaurus is that females gave birth to hatchlings, not the tail forward but head forward. One specimen described in the 2014 Motani et al, AGM I-1, was a female, who died at birth of offspring. One baby almost born, the other two waited in line at the womb, but were never born... Most viviparous marine tetrapod gives birth to calves tail first so they don't drown. Most of the ichthyosaurs is no exception. But not Chaohusaurus. This method of live birth is characteristic mainly of the land vertebrates, this is proof that the ancestors of the ichthyosaurs mastered live birth still on land. After all, he could only be inherited from terrestrial ancestors.