Atopodentatus was a strange marine reptile that lived during the Middle Triassic, around 247 to 242 million years ago. Its most unusual feature was its hammer-shaped snout, which formed a wide, tooth-lined mouth. These specialized teeth were adapted for scraping algae and other food from the seafloor. Atopodentatus lived in shallow coastal waters and used its limbs to move through the water and along the bottom. Fossils from China reveal one of the most unusual feeding adaptations known among prehistoric reptiles.
