Genus
Valid Extinct

Shastasaurus

Merriam 1895

Shastasaurus is an extinct genus of ichthyosaur from the Late Triassic. Specimens have been found in the United States, Canada, and China.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
10
Group
Ichtyosaures
Carnivore nektonic Marine
Shastasaurus
click to enlarge
Partial skull of Shastasaurus pacificus (UCMP 9017) from the Late Triassic of California, USA, in (A) lateral, (B) dorsal, and (C) anterolateral view. Based on this skull, Shastasaurus has repeatedly been reconstructed with a long, tooth-bearing rostrum. However, note the slenderness of the lower jaw (B, C) and the strong anterior taper of the snout (B), both of which are more consistent with the abbreviated and toothless snout of Shastasaurus liangae comb. nov. than with the traditional long-snouted reconstruction of this skull (as, e.g., in references [22] and [23]). © P. Martin Sander1*, Xiaohong Chen2, Long Cheng2, Xiaofeng Wang2 · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Ichthyosauria Unranked clade
›
Hueneosauria Unranked clade
›
Merriamosauria Unranked clade
›
Shastasauridae Family
›
Shastasaurus Genus
Fossil sites 10 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇺🇸 United States
7
🇲🇽 Mexico
2
🇨🇦 Canada
1
Geological formations
Hosselkus
5
Antimonio
2
Hosselkus Limestone
1
Martin Bridge
1
Pardonet
1
Temporal distribution
Norian (227.3–205.7 Ma)
5
Carnian (237–227.3 Ma)
5
Species (9)
Shastasaurus alexandrae 252 Ma
Shastasaurus altispinus subjective synonym of Shastasaurus pacificus 237 Ma
Shastasaurus careyi 237 Ma
Shastasaurus carinthiacus nomen dubium, species not entered Shastasaurus
Shastasaurus merriami nomen dubium, species not entered Shastasaurus
Shastasaurus nordensis nomen dubium, species not entered Shastasaurus
Shastasaurus osmonti subjective synonym of Shastasaurus pacificus 237 Ma
Shastasaurus pacificus 237 Ma
Shastasaurus sikkaniensis 215 Ma
Synonyms (3)
Shastasaurus carinthiacus nomen dubium, species not entered Shastasaurus
Shastasaurus merriami nomen dubium, species not entered Shastasaurus
Shastasaurus nordensis nomen dubium, species not entered Shastasaurus
Images 2
Bibliography
Original description
J. C. Merriam. 1895. On some Reptilian Remains from the Triassic of Northern California. American Journal of Science 50(295):55 DOI ↗
Bibliography (8)
E. L. Nicholls and M. Manabe. 2004. Giant ichthyosaurs of the Triassic - a new species of Shonisaurus from the Pardonet Formation (Norian: Late Triassic) of British Columbia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 24(4):838-849 DOI ↗
S. G. Lucas and C. M. González-León. 1995. Ichthyosaurs from the Upper Triassic of Sonora and the biochronology of Triassic ichthyosaurs. Geological Society of America Special Paper 301:17-20 DOI ↗
J. M. Mazin and P. M. Sander. 1993. Palaeobiogeography of the Early and Late Triassic ichthyopterygia. Paleontologia Lombarda 2:93-107
J. M. Callaway and J. A. Massare. 1989. Shastasaurus altispinus (Ichthyosauria, Shastasauridae) from the Upper Triassic of the El Antimonio District, northwestern Sonora, Mexico. Journal of Paleontology 63(6):930-939 DOI ↗
W. N. Orr and K. T. Katsura. 1985. Oregon's oldest vertebrates [Ichthyosauria(Reptilia)]. Oregon Geology 47(7):75-77
J. C. Merriam. 1908. Triassic Ichthyosauria. Memoirs of the University of California 1(1):1-155 DOI ↗
J. C. Merriam. 1906. Notes on the osteology of the thalattosaurian genus Nectosaurus. University of California Publications, Bulletin of the Department of Geology 5(13):217-223
J. C. Merriam. 1895. On some Reptilian Remains from the Triassic of Northern California. American Journal of Science 50(295):55 DOI ↗