Genus
Valid Extinct

Himalayasaurus

Dong 1972

Himalayasaurus is an extinct genus of ichthyosaur from the Late Triassic Qulonggongba Formation of Tibet. The type species Himalayasaurus tibetensis was described in 1972 on the basis of fragmentary remains, including teeth, limb bones, and vertebrae. The entire body length of Himalayasaurus is estimated to have been over 15 metres (49 ft) in length. Himalayasaurus has since been considered a nomen dubium or "dubious name" because of the lack of features that set it apart from other ichthyosaurs, although the presence of distinct cutting edges on its teeth have more recently been proposed as a unique feature of the genus. Himalayasaurus belongs to the family Shastasauridae, which includes other large-bodied Triassic ichthyosaurs like Shonisaurus.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
1
Group
Ichtyosaures
Carnivore nektonic Marine
Himalayasaurus
click to enlarge
Wikimedia
PBDB Wikipedia
Classification
Ichthyosauria Unranked clade
Hueneosauria Unranked clade
Merriamosauria Unranked clade
Shonisauridae Family
Himalayasaurus Genus
Fossil sites 1 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇨🇳 China
1
Geological formations
Qulonggongba
1
Temporal distribution
Norian (227.3–205.7 Ma)
1
Species (1)
Himalayasaurus tibetensis 215 Ma
Images 1
Bibliography
Original description
Z.-M. Dong. 1972. An ichthyosaur fossil from the Qomolangma Feng (Mt. Everest) region. Gu ji zhui dong wu yu gu ren lei yan jiu suo ji kan 9:7-10
Bibliography (1)
M.-M. Chang and F. Jin. 1996. Mesozoic fish faunas of China. Mesozoic Fishes - Systematics and Paleoecology 1:461-478