Skip to main content

Shonisaurus

Shonisaurus is a genus name basically meaning "Lizard from the Shoshone Mountains." There are two identified species, S. popularis and S. sikanniensis. The first of those was discovered in the Shoshone Mountains near Berlin, Nevada in 192. While Nevada is now dry, back in the Late Triassic the entire area was underwater. 37 specimens were found at that site, (one theory is that they all beached together) with excavations under Dr. Charles Camp of UC-Berekley taking place in the 1950s and 60s. The second species was discovered in British Columbia, Canada in the 1990s.

(Image Source)
Shonisaurus is one of the oldest and largest Ichthyosaurs ever discovered. It is rivaled in size only by sea dwellers that existed tens of millions of years after it. The largest Shonisaurus specimens, those of S. sikanniensis were estimated to be 21m long. S. popularis was a bit smaller, at around 15m. Both species lived during the late Triassic between 225 and 208 million years ago.

(Image Source)
Shonisauruses were predators. Their mouths contained teeth, but only at the front end, and their skulls were up to 3m long. They possessed long, narrow flippers in both front and back. They had streamlined bodies and powerful tails for movement underwater.

There is an interesting story that miners actually discovered Shonisaurus back in the 1860s, and used their vertebrae as dinner plates until scientists swooped in decades later and told them what they had. Alas, this story is a myth, with origins possibly residing with a description by Dr. Camp of the eyes being as large as dinner plates.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km)  from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status :  Not Listed Location :   Cent