Genus
Valid Extinct

Shonisaurus

Camp 1976

Shonisaurus is a genus of very large ichthyosaurs. At least 37 incomplete fossil specimens of the type species, Shonisaurus popularis, have been found in the Luning Formation of Nevada, United States. This formation dates to the late Carnian-early Norian age of the Late Triassic, around 227 million years ago. Other possible species of Shonisaurus have been discovered from the middle Norian deposits of Canada and Alaska.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
5
Group
Ichtyosaures
Carnivore nektonic Marine
Shonisaurus
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Wikimedia
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Ichthyosauria Unranked clade
›
Hueneosauria Unranked clade
›
Merriamosauria Unranked clade
›
Shastasauridae Family
›
Shonisaurus Genus
Fossil sites 5 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇺🇸 United States
3
🇮🇹 Italy
1
🇩🇪 Germany
1
Geological formations
Luning
3
Durrenstein
1
Exter
1
Temporal distribution
Rhaetian (205.7–201.4 Ma)
1
Norian (227.3–205.7 Ma)
3
Carnian (237–227.3 Ma)
1
Species (3)
Shonisaurus mulleri nomen dubium, species not entered Shonisaurus 227 Ma
Shonisaurus popularis 234 Ma
Shonisaurus silberlingi nomen dubium, species not entered Shonisaurus 227 Ma
Synonyms (2)
Shonisaurus mulleri nomen dubium, species not entered Shonisaurus
Shonisaurus silberlingi nomen dubium, species not entered Shonisaurus
Images 2
Bibliography
Original description
J. J., Jr. Sepkoski. 2002. A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. Bulletins of American Paleontology 363:1-560
Bibliography (4)
D. Konietzko-Meier, J. D. Werner, and T. Wintrich, P. M. Sander. 2019. A large temnospondyl humerus from the Rhaetian (Late Triassic) of Bonenburg (Westphalia, Germany) and its implications for temnospondyl extinction. Journal of Iberian Geology 45(2):287-300 DOI ↗
M. Dalla Vecchia and M. Avanzini. 2002. New findings of isolated remains of Triassic reptiles from Northeastern Italy. Bollettino della Societa Paleontologica Italiana 42(2-3):215-235
J. M. Mazin and P. M. Sander. 1993. Palaeobiogeography of the Early and Late Triassic ichthyopterygia. Paleontologia Lombarda 2:93-107
J. A. Hogler and R. A. Hanger. 1989. A new condrophorine (Hydrozoa, Velellidae) from the Upper Triassic of Nevada. Journal of Paleontology 63(2):249-251 DOI ↗