Nothosaurus, a semi-aquatic marine reptile from the Triassic period, lived approximately 240 million years ago. Classified as an ichthyosaur, it is considered an ancient ancestor of plesiosaurs. Its body size varied considerably, with smaller individuals measuring less than half a meter and larger ones reaching up to six meters in length. Nothosaurus possessed a long, slender neck, a flattened head, and a mouth lined with sharp teeth. Its limbs were equipped with webbed feet, enabling it to efficiently hunt in shallow waters. As an amphibious creature, it frequently hunted near the coast and returned to land to rest. Fossils of Nothosaurus have been extensively discovered across Europe, North Africa, and China’s Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau. It went extinct at the end of the Triassic period, having served as a key carnivorous predator in ancient shallow seas.