Wahlisaurus

Wahl-e-sor-us.
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Emily Green

Paleobotanist

Emily Green brings the ancient world of plants to life through her insightful research and engaging writing. Her expertise lies in examining how prehistoric vegetation influenced climate patterns and animal evolution.

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Name

Wahlisaurus ‭(‬Wahl’s lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Wahl-e-sor-us.

Named By

Dean R.‭ ‬Lomax‭ ‬-‭ ‬2016.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Ichthyosauria,‭ ‬Leptonectidae.

Diet

Piscivore.

Species

W.‭ ‬massare‭

Size

Uncertain due to lack of remains.

Known locations

England,‭ ‬Nottinghamshire.

Time Period

Hettangian of the Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Skull and partial post cranial skeleton.

In Depth

       Originally discovered in‭ ‬1951,‭ ‬the holotype fossil of Wahlisaurus was not officially described until sixty-five years later in‭ ‬2016.‭ ‬Wahlisaurus is a leptonectid ichthyosaur noted for having a very long snout.‭ ‬Other ichthyosaurs similar to Wahlisaurus include Leptonectes,‭ ‬Eurhinosaurus and Excalibosaurus.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new leptonectid ichthyosaur from the Lower Jurassic‭ (‬Hettangian‭) ‬of Nottinghamshire,‭ ‬England,‭ ‬UK,‭ ‬and the taxonomic usefulness of the ichthyosaurian coracoid.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Systematic Palaeontology:‭ ‬1‭–‬15‭ ‬-‭ ‬Dean R.‭ ‬Lomax‭ ‬-‭ ‬2016.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT