Thalattosaurus

Thalattosaurus
Temporal range: Late Triassic, 235.0–221.5 Ma
Illustration of T. alexandrae holotype
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: †Thalattosauria
Family: †Thalattosauridae
Genus: †Thalattosaurus
Merriam, 1904
Type species
†Thalattosaurus alexandrae
Merriam, 1904
Species
  • †T. alexandrae (Merriam, 1904) (type)
  • †T. borealis (Nicholls and Brinkman, 1993)
  • †T. perrini? (Merriam, 1905)
  • †T. shastensis? (Merriam, 1905)

Thalattosaurus (pronounced: /θəˌlætəˈsɔːrəs/, "tha-la-to-SORE-us") meaning "sea lizard," from the Attic Greek thalatta (θάλαττα), "sea," and sauros (σαῦρος), "lizard," is an extinct genus of marine reptile in the family Thalattosauroidea. They were aquatic diapsids that are known exclusively from the Triassic period. It was a 2–3 metres (6.6–9.8 ft) long shellfish-eating reptile with paddle-like limbs and a down-turned rostrum occurring in the Lower and Middle Triassic Sulphur Mountain Formation of British Columbia as well as the Upper Triassic Hosselkus Limestone of California.[1][2] It has gained notoriety as a result of studies on general diapsid phylogeny.[3]

Although originally described as four distinct species by Merriam in 1905, one was proven to be T. alexandrae upon further inspection and another[which?] has a missing type specimen.[citation needed] Currently it is believed to include two known species; Thalattosaurus alexandrae and T. borealis.

  1. ^ Muller, Johannes (2005). "The Anatomy of Askeptosaurus italicus from the Middle Triassic of Monte San Giorgio and the Interrelationships of Thalattosaurs (Reptilia, Diapsida)". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 42 (7): 1347–1367. Bibcode:2005CaJES..42.1347M. doi:10.1139/e05-030.
  2. ^ Lawrence H. Tanner (2018). The Late Triassic World: Earth in a Time of Transition. Springer Nature. p. 291. ISBN 978-3-319-68008-8. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  3. ^ Muller, Johannes (2007). "First Record of a Thalattosaur from the Upper Triassic of Austria". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 27 (1): 236–240. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[236:froatf]2.0.co;2.