Caypullisaurus fossil map
Where fossils of Caypullisaurus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 145 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 145 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 | 145.06–137.05 million years ago (Tithonian to Berriasian) |
| Periods | Jurassic, Cretaceous |
| Family | Ophthalmosauridae |
| Named by | Fernández 1997 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 2 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Argentina |
| Rock formations | Vaca Muerta |
About Caypullisaurus
Caypullisaurus is an extinct genus of platypterygiine ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur from the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous (Tithonian and Berriasian stages) of Argentina. Its holotype was collected from the Vaca Muerta Formation of Cerro Lotena, Neuquen, dating to the early Tithonian stage of the Late Jurassic, about 150 million years ago. Caypullisaurus was first named by Marta Fernández in 1997 and the type species is Caypullisaurus bonapartei. It was a large ichthyosaur, measuring about 7 m (23 ft) long. The forelimbs of Caypullisaurus contained 10 digits each.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Caypullisaurus (revision 1354839850), 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: Q16964188.
