Dino card No. 0766 of 2,027

Guizhouichthyosaurus

Say it: GWEI-joh-ik-thee-oh-SORE-us

Name means: “Guizhou lizard fish”1

Ate: MeatIchthyosaursMiddle Triassic to Late TriassicNot technically a dinosaur

Guizhouichthyosaurus was a giant marine reptile that swam in the seas of what is now China during the Triassic Period. It looked like a dolphin but was much bigger, with a long snout and a tail that bent downward at the tip. This apex predator ate other large marine reptiles, even though its teeth were small and smooth.1

Fun fact: this sea reptile swam while dinosaurs walked on land. Everyone calls them dinos, but they were a different branch of reptiles.

Lived

241 to 227 million years ago5

Middle Triassic to Late Triassic

Fossils found in

Guizhou Province, China (Xiaowa Formation and Zhuganpo Formation)1 2

Food

Meat1 2

Length

5 to 6 m1

some specimens over 6 m

Weight

914 kg to 1.404 tonnes1 3

estimate for G. tangae specimens

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 47 big dogs

as long as 6 dogs nose to tailas long as 33 bananas end to endas heavy as 280 watermelons

How big was Guizhouichthyosaurus compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

One fossil of Guizhouichthyosaurus had the remains of a thalattosaur (another marine reptile) inside its stomach, showing it was an apex predator.1

Its teeth were small and smooth, not sharp like steak knives, so it probably grabbed prey and swallowed it whole.1

Guizhouichthyosaurus swam like an eel, wiggling its whole body, unlike later ichthyosaurs that swam more like tuna.1

Scientists think there were two different body shapes (morphotypes) of this species, possibly males and females.1

It lived about 239 to 227 million years ago, during the Middle and Late Triassic.2

Some scientists once thought Guizhouichthyosaurus was the same as Shastasaurus, but now most agree it is its own genus.1

AI-made picture of Guizhouichthyosaurus — An AI-made picture of how Guizhouichthyosaurus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Guizhouichthyosaurus

?How big was Guizhouichthyosaurus?

About 5 metres (16 feet) long, with some specimens over 6 metres (20 feet).1

?What did Guizhouichthyosaurus eat?

It ate other large marine reptiles, like the thalattosaur Xinpusaurus. One fossil had a thalattosaur in its stomach, showing it was an apex predator.1 4

?Was Guizhouichthyosaurus a dinosaur?

No, it was an ichthyosaur, a marine reptile that lived in the sea. It was not a dinosaur.1

?How did Guizhouichthyosaurus swim?

It swam like an eel, wiggling its whole body, unlike later ichthyosaurs that swam more like tuna.1

Ask Rex about Guizhouichthyosaurus

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Myth buster

Myth: Guizhouichthyosaurus had huge, sharp teeth like a T. rex.

Truth: Its teeth were actually small and smooth, more like pegs, and it used them to grip prey rather than slice it.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Guizhouichthyosaurus
Named by: unknown5
Group: Ichthyosaurs
Family / clade: Shastasauridae5
Classification: Ichthyosauria > Ichthyosauria > Ichthyosauromorpha > Ichthyosauromorpha5
Age of the rocks: 241 to 227 million years (Ladinian / Carnian)5
Rock formations: Xiaowa, Falang, Wayao5
Countries: China5
Fossil records: 8 in the Paleobiology Database5
Discovery: The first fossils were named by Y. Cao and Y. Luo in 2000, based on a well-preserved skeleton missing its hips and tail tip.1
Still debated: Scientists still debate whether Guizhouichthyosaurus is really a separate genus from Shastasaurus or just a species of it.1

Where the facts come from

Guizhouichthyosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Guizhouichthyosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Ichthyosaur’s Last Meal Is Evidence of Triassic Megapredation | UC Davis (ucdavis.edu)
Guizhouichthyosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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