Shastasaurus (SciiFii)

Shastasaurus cetus (name meaning "Mt. Shasta lizard whale") is a species of ichthyosaur that originally lived in the United States, Canada, and China during the middle and late Triassic, as an extinct species of Shastasaurus and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and, unlike most Mesozoic-type marine reptiles, intentionally introduced throughout the modern world's oceans to help boost biodiversity. Shastasaurus cetus is one of the largest known marine reptiles, growing on average of around 69 feet (21 meters) in length and weighing nearly twice as much as an average-sized humpback whale. Shastasaurus cetus is highly specialized, and differs considerably from other ichthyosaurs, and is very slender in profile. Due to its unusually short, toothless snout (compared to the long, toothed, dolphin-like snouts of most ichthyosaurs), Shastasaurus cetus is not capable of hunting tough or thick prey items, so it feeds primarily on soft-bodied cephalopods, although it does not perform the suction-feeding ability due to its jaw design. Unlike most ichthyosaurs, Shastasaurus cetus lacks any dorsal fins of more advanced ichthyosaurs, and the upper fluke of the tail is also much less developed than flukes found in other species, so this makes it a rather slow-moving animal. It is a solitary animal that prefers to spend throughout most of its life alone except during the breeding seasons. The conservation status of Shastasaurus cetus is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the animal's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities. 
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii