What is Ichthyosaur?
{{Automatic taxobox | fossil_range = <br/>[[Early Triassic]] – [[Late Cretaceous]], {{Fossil range|250|90|earliest=251.3}} | image = Ichthyosaurus communis in London.jpg | image_caption = Skeleton of ''[[Ichthyosaurus somersetensis]]'' | image2 = Ophthalmosaurus_icenicus_updated_reconstruction.png | image2_caption = Life restoration of ''[[Ophthalmosaurus]]'' | taxon = Ichthyosauria | authority = [[Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville|Blainville]], 1835 | subdivision_ranks = Subgroups | subdivision = See [[#Taxonomy|text]] }} [[Image:AnningIchthyosaurSkull.jpg|thumb|right|240px|[[Skull]] of ''[[Ichthyosaurus]]'' found by the Annings. Note bony ring supporting the large eye]] [[File:Conybeare Ichthyosaur 1824.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Skeleton of an ''Ichthyosaurus communis'' found by Mary Anning]] [[File:Platypterigius kiprjanov2.jpg|thumb|240px|''Platypterigius'']] '''Ichthyosaurs''' are an extinct [[order (biology)|order]] of [[Ocean|marine]] [[reptile]]s from the [[Mesozoic]] [[era]].<ref>The name means 'fish-lizard'.</ref><ref>Maisch MW, Matzke AT. 2000. The Ichthyosauria. ''Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde Serie B (Geologie und Paläontologie)'' '''298''': 1-159. [http://www-alt.naturkundemuseum-bw.de/stuttgart/pdf/b_pdf/B298.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722042024/http://www-alt.naturkundemuseum-bw.de/stuttgart/pdf/b_pdf/B298.pdf|date=2012-07-22}}</ref> The earliest fossils are from the early [[Triassic]] of 250 million years ago. This is just after the [[Permian]] mass extinction.<ref>Kear B.P; Engelschiøn V.S; Hammer Ø; Roberts A. & Hurum J.H. 2023. Earliest Triassic ichthyosaur fossils push back oceanic reptile origins. ''Current Biology''. '''33''' (5): R178–R179. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.053 [https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(22)01990-X?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS096098222201990X%3Fshowall%3Dtrue]</ref> By the [[Upper Triassic]] they were similar in shape to [[dolphin]]s and to fast [[predator]]y [[fish]] like [[