In the Early Triassic period, about 248 million years ago, the Hupehsuchus, an ancient tiny marine reptile, filter-fed its way through the early oceans.
Paleontologists made the discovery after uncovering two intact Hupehsuchus nanchangensis skull specimens in a recent study published in BMC Ecology and Evolution. The find makes it the first marine filter-feeder that appeared after Earth’s biggest mass extinction.