Wangosaurus

Wang-o-sor-us.
By Benjamin Gutierrez
Published on

Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Gutierrez, B. (2015, November 10). Wangosaurus. Prehistoric-wildlife. https://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/wangosaurus/

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Name

Wangosaurus.

Phonetic

Wang-o-sor-us.

Named By

Le-Tian Ma,‭ ‬Da-Yong Jiang,‭ ‬Olivier Rieppel,‭ ‬Ryosuke Motani‭ & ‬Andrea Tintori‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Sauropterygia,‭ ‬Pistosauroidea.

Diet

Piscivore/Carnivore.

Species

W.‭ ‬brevirostris‭

Size

Preserved skeleton length about‭ ‬2.25-2.3‭ ‬meters long,‭ ‬but this is missing the end of the tail.‭ ‬Holotype individual probably up to about‭ ‬2.5‭ ‬meters long when complete.

Known locations

China,‭ ‬Guizhou Province‭ ‬-‭ ‬Falang Formation.‭

Time Period

Ladinian of the Triassic.

Fossil representation

Most of the skeleton.

In Depth

       Wangosaurus is a genus of pistosaurs that lived in the waters around what is now China during the Triassic.‭ ‬Pistosaurs like Wangosaurus were the precursors to the plesiosaurs that would rise to prominence by the end of the Triassic,‭ ‬and go on to live in the worlds‭ ‬‘oceans throughout the Mesozoic.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new pistosauroid‭ (‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Sauropterygia‭) ‬from the late Ladinian Xingyi marine reptile level,‭ ‬southwestern China.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬35‭ (‬1‭)‬:‭ ‬e881832.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Le-Tian Ma,‭ ‬Da-Yong Jiang,‭ ‬Olivier Rieppel,‭ ‬Ryosuke Motani‭ & ‬Andrea Tintori‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.

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