page_title: Thalattosaurus
section_title: Paleobiology
hierarchical_section_title: Thalattosaurus / Paleobiology
caption_attribution_description: Thalattosaurus alexandrae (left) and Nectosaurus halinus (right) of Late Triassic California
context_page_description: Thalattosaurus meaning "ocean lizard" is an extinct genus of marine reptile in the family Thalattosauridae. They were aquatic diapsids that are known exclusively from the Triassic period. It was a 2 metres long shellfish-eating reptile with paddle-like limbs and a down-turned rostrum occurring in the Lower and Middle Triassic Sulphur Mountain Formation of British Columbia as well as the Upper Triassic Hosselkus Limestone of California. It has gained notoriety as a result of studies on general diapsid phylogeny.
  Although originally described as four distinct species by Merriam in 1905, one was proven to be T. alexandrae upon further inspection and another has a missing type specimen. Currently it is believed to include two known species; Thalattosaurus alexandrae and T. borealis.
context_section_description: Thalattosaurus alexandrae was about around 2 meters (7 ft) long and an excellent swimmer. Thalattosaur limbs were generally not paddle-like, but Thalattosaurus limbs were. It had a long flattened tail and claws possibly used to withstand the force of the surf when crawling up on shore.
  The Sulphur Mountain Formation, where remains of Thalattosaurus have been found, consists of a series of marine siltstones, silty limestones, and fine gained sandstones. All of the thalattosaur specimens from Wapiti Lake are preserved in sandstones, suggestive of shallow water conditions. It is likely that they often spent their time near the shore instead of deep-sea, open-water environments. Its remains were found in a marine shale and marl environment, which suggests it fed on marine life such as shelled animals. It had strong crushing teeth to crack the shells of its prey.
caption: Thalattosaurus (left) with relative Nectosaurus (right) hunting shellfish.
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