Nothosaurus fossil map
Where fossils of Nothosaurus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 230 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 230 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 | Plesiosaurs & kin |
|---|---|
| Lived | 250.8–201.4 million years ago |
| Periods | Triassic |
| Family | Nothosauridae |
| Named by | Münster 1834 |
| Fossil records | 103 occurrences at 67 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Germany, Israel, China, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Poland, France, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland … |
| Rock formations | txn:38170, Jena, Erfurt, Karlstadt, Vossenveld, Guanling |
About Nothosaurus
Nothosaurus ('false lizard', from the Ancient Greek νόθος, nothos, 'illegitimate' and σαῦρος, sauros, 'lizard') is an extinct genus of sauropterygian reptile from the Triassic period, approximately 245–228 million years ago, with fossils being distributed throughout the former Tethys Ocean, from North Africa and Europe to China. It is the best known member of the nothosaur order.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Nothosaurus (revision 1377180038), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 22 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q910989.
