恐龍卡第 1635 張，共 2 027 張

Shastasaurus

名字的意思： “Mount Shasta lizard”1

吃：肉魚龍類三疊紀晚期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Shastasaurus was a giant marine reptile that swam in the oceans during the Late Triassic, not a dinosaur. Some species were as long as a blue whale, making them among the biggest reptiles that ever lived. It had a very short, toothless snout, unlike most other ichthyosaurs.1

趣味小知識：這種海生爬蟲類在海裡游泳的時候，恐龍正在陸地上走路。大家都叫牠們恐龍，但牠們其實是爬蟲類的另一個分支。

生存年代

237 到 206 百萬年前3

三疊紀晚期

化石發現地

California and Oregon, USA; British Columbia, Canada; Sonora, Mexico3 1

長度

7 到 21 m (23 到 69 ft)1

體重

最多 81.5 公噸 (179,700 lb)1

最高速度

時速約 22 公里（14 英里）

游泳, 估計值

牠生活在什麼時候？

三疊紀

侏羅紀

白堊紀

2 億 5200 萬年前20114566，小行星撞地球

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

牠有多重？

跟 14 頭大象一樣重

跟 5 台汽車排成一排一樣長跟 120 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長跟 16000 顆西瓜一樣重跟 100 整班小學生一樣重能在 8.2 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Shastasaurus 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡算算數學。什麼都不會被儲存或傳送出去。

牠有多快？

走路的人 時速約 5 公里 (3 mph)

騎腳踏車的小朋友 時速約 12 公里 (7 mph)

Shastasaurus 時速約 22 公里 (14 mph)

一匹飛奔的馬 時速約 65 公里 (40 mph)

一隻獵豹 時速約 100 公里 (62 mph)

酷東西

趣味知識

Shastasaurus lived about 235 to 205 million years ago, during the Late Triassic period.1

The largest species, Shastasaurus sikanniensis, could reach 21 metres (69 feet) long and weigh over 80 tonnes, as heavy as a large whale.1

Unlike most ichthyosaurs, which had long snouts full of teeth, Shastasaurus had a very short, toothless beak.1

Scientists think Shastasaurus may have been a suction feeder, sucking in soft prey like squid, similar to some modern beaked whales.1

The name Shastasaurus comes from Mount Shasta in California, near where the first fossils were found.1

Shastasaurus had a very slender body. One species had a ribcage less than 2 metres deep even though its flippers were 7 metres apart.1

It is not known if Shastasaurus had a dorsal fin, but earlier ichthyosaurs like Mixosaurus did have one.1

Shastasaurus 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Shastasaurus 可能的樣子。這只是猜測：真正的動物可能長得不一樣，也沒有人知道牠真正的顏色。

你們都在問

關於 Shastasaurus 最常被問的問題

?Was Shastasaurus a dinosaur?

No, Shastasaurus was an ichthyosaur, a marine reptile that lived in the oceans, not a dinosaur.1

?How big was Shastasaurus?

The largest species, Shastasaurus sikanniensis, could reach up to 21 metres (69 feet) long and weigh 81.5 metric tons (89.8 short tons). The type species, S. pacificus, was smaller at over 7 metres (23 feet).1

?What did Shastasaurus eat?

Scientists think Shastasaurus may have been a suction feeder, sucking in soft prey like squid and fish. However, some recent research suggests its jaws were not well suited for suction feeding.1 2

?Did Shastasaurus have teeth?

No, Shastasaurus had a very short, toothless snout, unlike most other ichthyosaurs which had long snouts full of teeth.1

?When did Shastasaurus live?

Shastasaurus lived during the Late Triassic period, about 235 to 205 million years ago.1

?Where was Shastasaurus found?

Fossils of Shastasaurus have been found in the United States (California), Canada (British Columbia), and China.1

迷思破解王

迷思： Shastasaurus was a dinosaur.

真相： Shastasaurus was an ichthyosaur, a marine reptile that lived in the sea, not a dinosaur.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Shastasaurus
命名者: Merriam 18953
類群: 魚龍類
科 / 演化支: Shastasauridae3
分類: Ichthyosauria > Ichthyosauromorpha3
岩石的年代: 237 到 206 百萬年 (Carnian / Norian)3
岩層: Hosselkus, Antimonio, Pardonet3
國家: 美國, 墨西哥, 加拿大3
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 10 筆3
發現: Shastasaurus was named by John C. Merriam in 1895 based on fossils found in Shasta County, California.1 3
仍有爭議: Scientists still debate whether the giant species Shastasaurus sikanniensis belongs in Shastasaurus or in the related genus Shonisaurus.1