Mixosaurus was a small to medium sized ichthyosaur, not growing more than 2 metres in total length with small species not growing more than 1 metre. It possessed a long tail with a low fin, suggesting it could have been a slow swimmer, but also possessed a dorsal fin for stability in the water. The paddle-like limbs were made up of five toes each, unlike the three toes found in later Ichthyosaurs. Noteworthy, however, is that each toe had more individual bones than is usual in reptiles, and the front limbs were longer than the back limbs, both adaptations typical of later ichthyosaurs. The jaws were narrow, with several sharp teeth, that would have been ideal for catching fish.[2] They had relatively large skulls compared to their bodies, unlike the basal ichthyosaurs, but resembled fish-s