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
Temporal range: Early Triassic
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Thalattosauria
Superfamily: Thalattosauroidea
Genus: Wapitisaurus
Brinkman, 1988
Type species
Wapitisaurus problematicus
Brinkman, 1988

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

edit
  1. ^ a b Brinkman, Donald (1988). "A weigeltisaurid reptile from the Lower Triassic of British Columbia". Palaeontology. 31 (4): 951–955. ISSN 0031-0239.
  2. ^ a b 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.