Wahlisaurus

Wahlisaurus had a very unusual shoulder bone called a coracoid, which had a large hole in it. This hole is rarely seen in ichthyosaurs.2

The first Wahlisaurus fossil was discovered by a man named Percy Faulkes, who donated it to a museum when he died in 1951.1

Wahlisaurus is named after two scientists: William Wahl and Judy Massare, who both studied ancient marine reptiles.1

Only two specimens of Wahlisaurus have ever been found. The second one was discovered in 1996 but not identified until 2018.1

Wahlisaurus lived during the Hettangian age, about 201 to 199 million years ago, right after a big extinction event.3

Its snout was extremely slender and delicate, and its lower jaw was shorter than its upper jaw, giving it an overbite.2