Dvinosaurus fossil map
Where fossils of Dvinosaurus 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 | Early tetrapods & amphibians |
|---|---|
| Lived | 266.9–254.14 million years ago (Wordian to Wuchiapingian) |
| Periods | Permian |
| Family | Dvinosauridae |
| Named by | Amalitzky 1921 |
| Fossil records | 26 occurrences at 20 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Russia |
| Rock formations | txn:37144, Salarevo, Poldarsa, Malokinelskaya, Urpalov, Ilyinskoe |
About Dvinosaurus
Dvinosaurus is an extinct genus of amphibious temnospondyls localized to regions of western and central Russia during the middle and late Permian, approximately 265-254 million years ago. Its discovery was first noted in 1921 by Russian paleontologist Vladimir Prokhorovich Amalitskii in a posthumously published paper that documents the findings of a site in Russia's Arkhangelsk District. Its name is derived from the proximity of this site to the Northern Dvina River.
Dvinosaurus is thought to have been a gill-breathing, fully-aquatic tetrapod, characterized by a large, triangular head, short limbs, and a long powerful tail. A typical individual could grow to be approximately 40 in (100 cm) in length.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Dvinosaurus (revision 1352448091), 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: Q4155761.
