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Shastasaurus
''Shastasaurus'' ("Mount Shasta lizard") is a very large extinct genus of ichthyosaur from the middle and late Triassic, and is the largest known marine reptile.Hilton, Richard P., ''Dinosaurs and Other Mesozoic Animals of California'', University of California Press, Berkeley 2003 , at pages 90-91. Specimens have been found in the United States, Canada, and China. Description left, Size of '' Shonisaurus popularis'' (green) and ''S. sikanniensis'' (red), a possible species of ''Shastasaurus'', compared with a human ''Shastasaurus'' lived during the late Triassic period. The type species ''Shastasaurus pacificus'' is known from California. ''S. pacificus'' was a medium-sized ichthyosaur, measuring over in length and weighing . A second possible species of ''Shastasaurus'', ''S. sikanniensis'', is known from the Pardonet Formation British Columbia, dating to the middle Norian age (about 210 million years ago). If ''S.sikanniensis'' belongs to ''Shastasaurus'', it would be the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Callawayia
''Callawayia'' is an extinct genus of ichthyosaur. It contains the species ''Callawayia neoscapularis''.Sander, P.M., Chen X., Cheng L. and Wang X. (2011).Short-Snouted Toothless Ichthyosaur from China Suggests Late Triassic Diversification of Suction Feeding Ichthyosaurs. ''PLoS ONE 6(5)'': e19480. History of research In 1994, Christopher McGowan reviewed the taxonomy of '' Shastasaurus''. In this publication, he named a new species of ''Shastasaurus'', ''S. neoscapularis'', based on ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) 41993, a partial skeleton discovered on the shore of Williston Lake in Pink Mountain, British Columbia, Canada in 1987. The specimen was excavated from "Flipper Quarry" in 1988. The name of this species refers to the closer resemblance of its scapulae (shoulder blades) to Jurassic ichthyosaurs than those of other Triassic ichthyosaurs. In 2000, Michael Maisch published a study on the skull anatomy of ''Shastasaurus'', and also revised the genus again. He noted that ''S. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guanlingsaurus
''Guanlingsaurus'' is an extinct genus of shastasaurid ichthyosaur from the Late Triassic of China. It grew up to in length and has a wide, triangular skull with a short and toothless snout. Discovery It is known from a single species, ''Guanlingsaurus liangae'', that was found in the Carnian-age Falang Formation of Guanling County, which is in the province of Guizhou. The genus and species were first named in 2000 on the basis of an incomplete adult skeleton. More complete skeletons were described in 2011, and a complete skeleton belonging to a juvenile was described in 2013. In 2011 ''Guanlingsaurus liangae'' was reassigned to the genus '' Shastasaurus'', which includes two species from North America that are known from more complete fossils than ''Guanlingsaurus''. However, the description of the juvenile specimen in 2013 revealed several features that make ''G. liangae'' distinct from ''Shastasaurus'' species, and the name was reinstated. Description The largest spec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guizhouichthyosaurus
''Guizhouichthyosaurus'' is an extinct genus of ichthyosaur which is known primarily from the Xiaowa Formation of the lower Carnian stage of the Late Triassic in southwest China. The type species of this genus is ''Guizhouichthyosaurus tangae'', of which multiple skeletons are known. It has been reassigned as a species of the genus '' Shastasaurus'' in the past, though it has since been considered distinct. The ichthyosaurs ''Cymbospondylus asiaticus'', named in 2002, and ''Panjiangsaurus epicharis'', named in 2003, are junior synonyms of ''G. tangae''. The genus is also known from the Ladinian-aged Middle Triassic Zhuganpo Formation; additionally, the species ''"Callawayia" wollongangense'' may belong to ''Guizhouichthyosaurus''. ''Guizhouichthyosaurus'' is a large ichthyosaur, typically measuring approximately long with some specimens exceeding . The snout is long and powerful, and there is a low sagittal crest on the rear part of its skull. The tail is bent downwards nea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Ichthyosaurs
This list of ichthyosaurs is a comprehensive listing of all genera that have ever been included in the order Ichthyosauria or the parent clade Ichthyopterygia, excluding purely vernacular terms. The list includes all commonly accepted genera, but also genera that are now considered invalid, doubtful (''nomen dubium''), or were not formally published (''nomen nudum''), as well as junior synonyms of more established names, and genera that are no longer considered ichthyopterygian. Non-ichthyosaur ichthyopterygians shall be noted as such. This list contains 108 genera. Scope and terminology There is no official, canonical list of ichthyosaur genera but one of the most thorough attempts can be found at the "Ichthyosauromorpha" section of Mikko Haaramo's Phylogeny Archive. Naming conventions and terminology follow the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Technical terms used include: * Junior synonym: A name which describes the same taxon as a previously published name. If ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ichthyosaur
Ichthyosaurs (Ancient Greek for "fish lizard" – and ) are large extinct marine reptiles. Ichthyosaurs belong to the order known as Ichthyosauria or Ichthyopterygia ('fish flippers' – a designation introduced by Sir Richard Owen in 1842, although the term is now used more for the parent clade of the Ichthyosauria). Ichthyosaurs thrived during much of the Mesozoic era; based on fossil evidence, they first appeared around 250 million years ago ( Ma) and at least one species survived until about 90 million years ago, into the Late Cretaceous. During the Early Triassic epoch, ichthyosaurs and other ichthyosauromorphs evolved from a group of unidentified land reptiles that returned to the sea, in a development similar to how the mammalian land-dwelling ancestors of modern-day dolphins and whales returned to the sea millions of years later, which they gradually came to resemble in a case of convergent evolution. Ichthyosaurs were particularly abundant in the Late Triassic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shonisaurus
''Shonisaurus'' is a very large genus of ichthyosaur. At least 37 incomplete fossil specimens of the marine reptile have been found in the Luning Formation of Nevada, USA. This formation dates to the late Carnian age of the late Triassic period, about 237–227 million years ago. Description left, Size of ''S. popularis'' (green) and '' Shastasaurus sikanniensis'' (red) compared with a human (blue) ''Shonisaurus'' lived during the Carnian stage of the late Triassic period. ''S. popularis'' measured around in length and in body mass. A second species from British Columbia was named ''Shonisaurus sikanniensis'' in 2004. ''S. sikanniensis'' was one of the largest marine reptiles of all time, measuring and weighing . However, phylogenetic studies later showed ''S. sikanniensis'' to be a species of ''Shastasaurus'' rather than ''Shonisaurus''. A new study published in 2013 reasserted the original classification, finding it more closely related to ''Shonisaurus'' than to ''Shasta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shonisaurus Sikanniensis Royal Tyrrell
''Shonisaurus'' is a very large genus of ichthyosaur. At least 37 incomplete fossil specimens of the marine reptile have been found in the Luning Formation of Nevada, USA. This formation dates to the late Carnian age of the late Triassic period, about 237–227 million years ago. Description left, Size of ''S. popularis'' (green) and '' Shastasaurus sikanniensis'' (red) compared with a human (blue) ''Shonisaurus'' lived during the Carnian stage of the late Triassic period. ''S. popularis'' measured around in length and in body mass. A second species from British Columbia was named ''Shonisaurus sikanniensis'' in 2004. ''S. sikanniensis'' was one of the largest marine reptiles of all time, measuring and weighing . However, phylogenetic studies later showed ''S. sikanniensis'' to be a species of '' Shastasaurus'' rather than ''Shonisaurus''. A new study published in 2013 reasserted the original classification, finding it more closely related to ''Shonisaurus'' than to ''Shas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phantomosaurus
''Phantomosaurus'' is an extinct genus of ichthyosaur that lived during the late Anisian stage of the Middle Triassic. Fossils have been found in southern Germany. It was discovered in 1965 and named in 1997 as a species of '' Shastasaurus'' by Sander in the rocks of the Upper Muschelkalk. More recently, in 2005, the braincase was studied by Maisch and Matzke. They found it to be unique among all known ichthyosaurs in terms of braincase morphology. Despite its close relation to many other ichthyosaurs, in particular ''Cymbospondylus, Phantomosaurus'' appears to have a very primitive braincase which resembles other diapsids more than other ichthyosaurs. Morphology ''Phantomosaurus'' is known from a partial skull, the lower jaw, some of the vertebrae and ribs (pictured) and the hind fin. Hind fin The hind fin is very long and slender, with elongated femur, tibia and fibula. These features suggest a long but not particularly powerful limb, which would have generated a reaso ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carnian
The Carnian (less commonly, Karnian) is the lowermost stage of the Upper Triassic Series (or earliest age of the Late Triassic Epoch). It lasted from 237 to 227 million years ago (Ma). The Carnian is preceded by the Ladinian and is followed by the Norian. Its boundaries are not characterized by major extinctions or biotic turnovers, but a climatic event (known as the Carnian pluvial episode characterized by substantial rainfall) occurred during the Carnian and seems to be associated with important extinctions or biotic radiations. Stratigraphic definitions The Carnian was named in 1869 by Mojsisovics. It is unclear if it was named after the Carnic Alps or after the Austrian region of Carinthia (''Kärnten'' in German) or after the Carnia historical region in northwestern Italy. The name, however, was first used referring to a part of the Hallstatt Limestone cropping out in Austria. The base of the Carnian Stage is defined as the place in the stratigraphic record ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the most populated subnational entity in North America and the 34th most populous in the world. The Greater Los Angeles area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second and fifth most populous urban regions respectively, with the former having more than 18.7million residents and the latter having over 9.6million. Sacramento is the state's capital, while Los Angeles is the most populous city in the state and the second most populous city in the country. San Francisco is the second most densely populated major city in the country. Los Angeles County is the country's most populous, while San Bernardino County is the largest county by area in the country. California borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the ea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
