Keichousaurus

Keichousaurus
Temporal range: Early-Late Triassic, 251–227 Ma
Keichousaurus hui fossil at the North American Museum of Ancient Life
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Superorder: †Sauropterygia
Family: †Keichousauridae
Genus: †Keichousaurus
Young, 1958
Species
  • †K. hui Young, 1958 (type)
  • †K. yuananensis Young, 1965

Keichousaurus (meaning "Kweichow lizard") is an extinct genus of pachypleurosaurian marine reptile from the Chialingchiang and Falang Formations of China with two known species attributed to the genus: K. hui and K. yuananensis.[1][2]

Keichousaurus is among the most common sauropterygian fossils recovered and are often found as nearly complete, articulated skeletons, making them popular among collectors. Keichousaurus, and the pachypleurosaur family broadly, are sometimes classified within Nothosauroidea, but are otherwise listed as a separate, more primitive lineage within Sauropterygia.[2]

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