| Wapitisaurus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | † Thalattosauria |
| Superfamily: | † Thalattosauroidea |
| Genus: | † Wapitisaurus Brinkman, 1988 |
| Type species | |
| Wapitisaurus problematicus Brinkman, 1988 | |
Wapitisaurus is an extinct genus of thalattosaur from the Early Triassic. Its type and only species is Wapitisaurus problematicus. Its remains were discovered in the Vega-Phroso Member of the Sulphur Mountain Formation in British Columbia, Canada. [1]
Wapitisaurus was originally described as a member of Weigeltisauridae, a family of gliding reptiles that otherwise is only known from the Permian period. [1] However, subsequent study determined it was a member of Thalattosauria, a group of unusual marine reptiles that lived during the Triassic period. [2] The length of Wapitisaurus has been estimated to be between 1 and 1.9 metres (3.3 and 6.2 ft), similar to other thalattosaurs. [2]
