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''Bishanopliosaurus'' is a
''Bishanopliosaurus'' was a small plesiosaur, measuring long and weighing . It can be differentiated by the bifurcated ribs of its
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of plesiosaur
The Plesiosauria (; Greek: πλησίος, ''plesios'', meaning "near to" and ''sauros'', meaning "lizard") or plesiosaurs are an order or clade of extinct Mesozoic marine reptiles, belonging to the Sauropterygia.
Plesiosaurs first appeared ...
. The type species is ''B. youngi'', based on remains found in the Ziliujing Formation
The Ziliujing Formation is a geological formation in China, It is Early Jurassic in age. It is part of the stratigraphy of the Sichuan Basin. The dinosaur ''Gongxianosaurus'' and indeterminate theropod material are known from the Dongyuemiao Mem ...
of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
.
Description
''Bishanopliosaurus'' was a small plesiosaur, measuring long and weighing . It can be differentiated by the bifurcated ribs of its sacrum
The sacrum (plural: ''sacra'' or ''sacrums''), in human anatomy, is a large, triangular bone at the base of the spine that forms by the fusing of the sacral vertebrae (S1S5) between ages 18 and 30.
The sacrum situates at the upper, back part ...
. Unusually, it appears to be a freshwater plesiosaur. A second species, ''B. zigongensis'', is known from the slightly later Xiashaximiao Formation
The Shaximiao Formation () is a Middle to Late Jurassic aged geological formation in Sichuan, China, most notable for the wealth of dinosaurs fossils that have been excavated from its strata. The Shaximiao Formation is exposed in and around the ...
.
See also
*Timeline of plesiosaur research
This timeline of plesiosaur research is a chronologically ordered list of important fossil discoveries, controversies of interpretation, taxonomic revisions, and cultural portrayals of plesiosaurs, an order of marine reptiles that flourished duri ...
* List of plesiosaurs
References
Plesiosaurs of Asia Early Jurassic plesiosaurs Fossils of China Fossil taxa described in 1980 Toarcian genera Sauropterygian genera {{plesiosaur-stub