Brevicaudosaurus
| Brevicaudosaurus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Superorder: | †Sauropterygia |
| Order: | †Nothosauroidea |
| Genus: | †Brevicaudosaurus Shang, Wu & Li, 2020 |
| Type species | |
| †Brevicaudosaurus jiyangshanensis Shang, Wu & Li, 2020 | |
Brevicaudosaurus is an extinct genus of nothosauroid marine sauropterygian from the Middle Triassic of China. The type species is B. jiyangshanensis. It was a small animal, with specimens measuring approx. 40 cm (16 in) long in total length. It had a broad, flat body, with an unusually short and flattened tail compared to other nothosaurs, which indicates that it could not swim quickly and was probably adapted to a way of life as a benthic carnivore. The holotype, IVPP V 18625, was prepared by Y.-F. Chen.