Besanosaurus fossil map
Where fossils of Besanosaurus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 252 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 252 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Ichthyosaurs |
|---|---|
| Lived | 247–237 million years ago |
| Periods | Triassic |
| Family | Besanosauridae |
| Named by | Dal Sasso and Pinna 1996 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Switzerland |
| Rock formations | Monte San Giorgio bituminous shales |
About Besanosaurus
Besanosaurus (meaning 'reptile from Besano') is an extinct genus of Middle Triassic ichthyosaur from Monte San Giorgio of Italy and Switzerland, containing the single species B. leptorhynchus. Besanosaurus was named by Cristiano Dal Sasso and Giovanni Pinna in 1996, based on the nearly complete flattened skeleton BES SC 999, the holotype specimen. This skeleton is preserved across multiple thin rock slabs spanning 3.5 by 4 metres (11 by 13 ft) when assembled and took thousands of hours to prepare. Additional specimens from Monte San Giorgio that have previously been considered separate genera, including a partial skull named Mikadocephalus and a well-preserved, largely complete skeleton, have been reinterpreted as additional specimens of Besanosaurus. Putative specimens have been discovered in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard and Germany, although their attribution to the genus remains disputed.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Besanosaurus (revision 1370050419), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q829430.
