''Tanytrachelos'' is an extinct genus of

tanystropheid Tanystropheidae is an extinct family (biology), family of archosauromorph reptiles that lived throughout the Triassic Period, often considered to be "protorosaurs". They are characterized by their long, stiff necks formed from elongated cervical ...

archosauromorph reptile from the

Late Triassic The Late Triassic is the third and final epoch (geology), epoch of the Triassic geologic time scale, Period in the geologic time scale, spanning the time between annum, Ma and Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the Middle Triassic Epoch a ...

of the eastern United States. It contains a single species, ''Tanytrachelos ahynis'', which is known from several hundred fossil specimens preserved in the Solite Quarry in

Cascade, Virginia Cascade is an unincorporated community in Pittsylvania County, in the U.S. state of Virginia. Windsor was listed on the National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the ...

. Abundant fossils of ''Tanytrachelos'' are found in a series of lakebed sediments that were deposited over the course of about 350 thousand years in a lake which existed approximately 230 million years ago. Some fossils are very well-preserved and include the remains of soft tissues. ''Tanytrachelos'' is the most likely trackmaker of the

ichnogenus An ichnotaxon (plural ichnotaxa) is "a taxon based on the fossilized work of an organism", i.e. the non-human equivalent of an artifact. ''Ichnotaxon'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''íchnos'') meaning "track" and English , itself derived from ...

'' Gwyneddichnium''. ''Tanytrachelos'' remains have also been found in the

Chinle Formation The Chinle Formation is an Upper Triassic continental geological formation of fluvial, lacustrine, and palustrine to eolian deposits spread across the U.S. states of Nevada, Utah, northern Arizona, western New Mexico, and western Colorado. In ...

of Arizona and the

Lockatong Formation The Triassic Lockatong Formation is a mapped bedrock unit in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. It is named after the Lockatong Creek in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Description The Lockatong is defined as a light to dark gray, greenish-g ...

of New Jersey.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15727697 Tanystropheidae Prehistoric reptile genera Carnian genera Late Triassic reptiles of North America Triassic Arizona Paleontology in Arizona Chinle fauna Triassic geology of New Jersey Fossils of New Jersey Triassic geology of Virginia Paleontology in Virginia Fossil taxa described in 1979