Topic summary
Augustasaurus
Augustasaurus is an extinctgenus of sauropterygians that lived during the Anisianstage of the Middle Triassic in what is now North America. Only one species is known, A. hagdorni, described in 1997 from fossils discovered in the Favret Formation, Nevada, USA.
Augustasaurus is a pistosauroid estimated to be 2.5–3 m (8.2–9.8 ft) long. The skull has fang-like teeth, indicating a diet of fish and squid. Its postcranial anatomy is similar to that of future plesiosaurs, with which it visibly shares a common ancestor according to the most recent phylogenetic analyses.
The Favret Formation, from which Augustasaurus is known, contains numerous fossils of marine reptiles dating from the Middle Triassic. The fossils mainly include ichthyosaurs, Augustasaurus being the only sauropterygian to have been identified in the area.