Cryptoclididae
| Cryptoclidids | |
|---|---|
| Skeleton of Cryptoclidus eurymerus at the Museum of Paleontology, Tuebingen | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota | 
| Kingdom: | Animalia | 
| Phylum: | Chordata | 
| Class: | Reptilia | 
| Superorder: | †Sauropterygia | 
| Order: | †Plesiosauria | 
| Clade: | †Cryptoclidia | 
| Family: | †Cryptoclididae Williston, 1925 | 
| Genera | |
| 
 | |
Cryptoclididae is a family of medium-sized plesiosaurs that existed from the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. They had long necks, broad and short skulls and densely packed teeth. They fed on small soft-bodied preys such as small fish and crustaceans. The earliest members of the family appeared during the early Bajocian, and they represented the dominant group of long-necked plesiosaurs during the latter half of the Jurassic.