Dino card No. 1779 of 2,027

Thaisaurus

Say it: THAI-sore-us

Name means: “Thai lizard”1

Ate: MeatIchthyosaursEarly Triassic to Middle TriassicNot technically a dinosaur

Thaisaurus was a small, lizard-like marine reptile that swam in the warm seas of the Early Triassic, about 248 million years ago. It had a long snout, big eyes, and flippers instead of legs, and it hunted fish and other small sea creatures.1 2

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

Lived

249 to 247 million years ago2

Early Triassic to Middle Triassic

Fossils found in

Khao Thong, Phattalung, Thailand2 1

Food

Meat2 1

Length

1 to 2 m1

estimated, based on related ichthyopterygians

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

as long as 4 house cats nose to tailas long as 11 bananas end to end

How big was Thaisaurus compared to YOU?

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

cool stuff

Fun facts

Thaisaurus is one of the oldest known ichthyopterygians, a group of marine reptiles that later evolved into fish-shaped ichthyosaurs.1

Its teeth were all the same shape and pointed, unlike some other early ichthyopterygians that had blunt teeth for crushing shells.1

The only fossil of Thaisaurus was found in hard dolomite rock and has not been fully prepared, so scientists still don't know all its secrets.1

Some scientists think Thaisaurus might actually be a young Chaohusaurus, but others believe it is a distinct genus.1

Thaisaurus had a long, thin snout and large, rounded eye sockets, which helped it see and catch prey in the water.1

AI-made picture of Thaisaurus — An AI-made picture of how Thaisaurus 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 Thaisaurus

?How big was Thaisaurus?

It was small, but its exact size is not known because the only fossil is incomplete and poorly preserved.1

?What did Thaisaurus eat?

It ate fish and other small sea creatures, based on its pointed teeth and its lifestyle as a marine reptile.1 2

?Is Thaisaurus a dinosaur?

No, it is an ichthyopterygian marine reptile, not a dinosaur.1 2

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Myth buster

Myth: Thaisaurus was a dinosaur.

Truth: Thaisaurus was a marine reptile called an ichthyopterygian, not a dinosaur. Dinosaurs lived on land.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Thaisaurus
Named by: Mazin et al. 19912
Group: Ichthyosaurs
Family / clade: Thaisauridae2
Classification: Ichthyosauria > Ichthyosauromorpha2
Age of the rocks: 249 to 247 million years ()2
Rock formations: Chaiburi2
Countries: Thailand2
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database2
Discovery: The fossil was found by Chongpan Chonglakmani on Khao Thong hill in Thailand. It was collected in 1988 by a joint Thai-French expedition and named Thaisaurus chonglakmanii by Mazin and colleagues in 1991.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure exactly how Thaisaurus is related to other early ichthyopterygians because its only fossil is poorly preserved and needs more study.1

Where the facts come from

Thaisaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Thaisaurus 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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