Saniwa

Saniwa
Temporal range: Eocene
Skeleton of Saniwa ensidens in the Field Museum of Natural History
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Varanidae
Genus: Saniwa
Leidy, 1870
Species
  • S. ensidens Leidy, 1870 (type)
  • S. orsmaelensis Dollo, 1923
Synonyms

Saniwa is an extinct genus of varanid lizard that lived during the Eocene epoch. It is known from well-preserved fossils found in the Bridger and Green River Formations of Wyoming, United States. The type species S. ensidens was described in 1870 as the first fossil lizard known from North America. A second species, S. orsmaelensis, is recognised from remains found in Europe. It is a close relative of Varanus, the genus that includes monitor lizards.