Piratosaurus
| Piratosaurus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
| Holotype tooth USNM V 1000 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Superorder: | †Sauropterygia |
| Order: | †Plesiosauria |
| Genus: | †Piratosaurus Leidy, 1865 |
| Type species | |
| †Piratosaurus plicatus Leidy, 1865 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Piratosaurus (meaning "multiplied pirate lizard") is a dubious genus of plesiosaur possibly belonging to the Polycotylidae that is known exclusively from the type species P. plicatus, named and described by Joseph Leidy in 1865. It is known only from the holotype, USNM V 1000, a tooth, discovered in Late Cretaceous-aged rocks in the Red River basin of Manitoba; at least one researcher erroneously assumed it was found in Minnesota.