Utatsusaurus
Extinct genus of reptiles / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Utatsusaurus hataii is the earliest-known ichthyopterygian which lived in the Early Triassic period (c. 245–250 million years ago). It was nearly 2.5–3 metres (8.2–9.8 ft) long with a slender body.[1][2] The first specimen was found in Utatsu-cho (now part of Minamisanriku-cho), Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It is the only described species in the genus Utatsusaurus and the only member of the family Utatsusauridae.[3] The name Utatsusaurus was given after the city.[4] The fossils have been found from the Early Triassic Osawa Formation of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan and British Columbia, Canada.[5]
Utatsusaurus | |
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Fossil | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Superorder: | †Ichthyopterygia |
Family: | †Utatsusauridae McGowan & Motani, 2003 |
Genus: | †Utatsusaurus Shikama et al., 1978 |
Type species | |
†Utatsusaurus hataii Shikama et al., 1978 |
Utatsusaurus is one of the most primitive grades of ichthyosaurs, a basal ichthyosaur.[6][7]