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Placodus was a robust, smaller-sized marine reptile. The length did not exceed two meters. The genus is characterized by a very short neck and significantly longer tail. A massive skull is typical for knob-like teeth, adapted for crushing the malacofagous (bivalves). The third, parietal eye is still developed at the top of the head. Limbs are shorter and not yet fully modified into fin-like paddles. Placodontids lived in the Triassic Period (243‒235 Ma) in Europe and China. ## Keywords Mesozoic, Triassic, marine reptiles, Sauropterygia, Placodontidae