Wapitisaurus

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.

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 was originally described as a member of Weigeltisauridae, a family of gliding reptiles that otherwise is only known from the Permian period. However, subsequent study determined it was a member of Thalattosauria, a group of unusual marine reptiles that lived during the Triassic period. 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.

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