| Wapitisaurus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | †Thalattosauria |
| Superfamily: | †Thalattosauroidea |
| Genus: | †Wapitisaurus Brinkman, 1988 |
| Type species | |
| Wapitisaurus problematicus Brinkman, 1988 | |
Wapitisaurus is an extinct genus of thalattosaur from the Early Triassic. Its type and only species is Wapitisaurus problematicus. Its remains were discovered in the Vega-Phroso Member of the Sulphur Mountain Formation in British Columbia, Canada.[1]
Wapitisaurus was originally described as a member of Weigeltisauridae, a family of gliding reptiles that otherwise is only known from the Permian period.[1] However, subsequent study determined it was a member of Thalattosauria, a group of unusual marine reptiles that lived during the Triassic period.[2] The length of Wapitisaurus has been estimated to be between 1 and 1.9 metres (3.3 and 6.2 ft), similar to other thalattosaurs.[2]
References
- 1 2 Brinkman, Donald (1988). "A weigeltisaurid reptile from the Lower Triassic of British Columbia". Palaeontology. 31 (4): 951–955. ISSN 0031-0239.
- 1 2 Bastiaans, Dylan; Buffa, Valentin; Scheyer, Torsten M. (2023-11-15). "To glide or to swim? A reinvestigation of the enigmatic Wapitisaurus problematicus (Reptilia) from the Early Triassic of British Columbia, Canada". Royal Society Open Science. 10 (11): 231171. doi:10.1098/rsos.231171. ISSN 2054-5703. PMC 10646446.
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