Shonisaurus was an absolutely gargantuan ichthyosaur which swam off North America’s Pacific coast during the middle of the Triassic Period 227 million years ago. Shonisaurus was one of the largest ichthyosaurs to have existed, measuring 45 feet long. Only a… Read More ›
Middle Triassic
Gualolepis
Gualolepis was a prehistoric freshwater fish which lived in western Argentina during the middle of the Triassic Period 235-234 million years ago. Only two specimens of this fish have been found (collection ID codes: PULR 106 and PULR 107), and… Read More ›
Challaia
Challaia was a genus of prehistoric freshwater fish which lived in South America during the early and middle Triassic Period 240-230 million years ago. Its fossils have been found within several geological formations in western Argentina. Challaia belonged to the… Read More ›
Gracilisuchus
Gracilisuchus, meaning “the slender crocodile”, was a 2-foot-long reptile which lived in South America during the middle of the Triassic Period. Its remains were discovered in northwestern Argentina within the rocks of the Chañares Formation, which are dated to about… Read More ›
Saurosuchus
Saurosuchus was a 20-foot pseudosuchian (a distant ancestor of crocodiles) which lived in Argentina during the middle Triassic Period about 230 million years ago. It was the largest carnivorous animal in its environment in terms of both length and weight,… Read More ›
Panphagia, the Oldest-Known Sauropodomorph Dinosaur
For decades, South America has been regarded by paleontologists as the place where dinosaurs originated. It is here that we have our clearest record of what the oldest dinosaurs looked like. Specifically, Brazil and Argentina hold the record for the… Read More ›
Promastodonsaurus
This is Promastodonsaurus, literally meaning “before Mastodonsaurus”. Despite its saurian name, it was not a dinosaur, or even a reptile – it was actually a large amphibian. Fossils of Promastodonsaurus were found in Argentina within the rocks of the Ischigualasto… Read More ›