Shonisaurus
| Shonisaurus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Restored skull in a Japanese museum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | †Ichthyosauria |
| Family: | †Shastasauridae |
| Genus: | †Shonisaurus Camp, 1976 |
| Type species | |
| †Shonisaurus popularis Camp, 1976 | |
| Species | |
| |
Shonisaurus is a genus of very large ichthyosaurs. At least 37 incomplete fossil specimens of the type species, Shonisaurus popularis, have been found in the Luning Formation of Nevada, USA. This formation dates to the late Carnian-early Norian age of the Late Triassic, around 227 million years ago. Other possible species of Shonisaurus have been discovered from the middle Norian deposits of Canada and Alaska.