Scanisaurus fossil map
Where fossils of Scanisaurus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 75 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 75 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 | 83.6–72.2 million years ago (Campanian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Family | Elasmosauridae |
| Named by | Persson 1960 |
| Fossil records | 3 occurrences at 2 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Sweden |
| Rock formations | txn:38175 |
About Scanisaurus
Scanisaurus is a dubious genus of plesiosaur that lived in what is now Sweden and Russia during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous period. The name Scanisaurus means "Skåne lizard", Skåne being the southernmost province of Sweden, where a majority of the fossils referred to the genus have been recovered. The genus contains one species, S. nazarowi, described in 1911 by Nikolay Bogolyubov as a species of Cimoliasaurus based on a single vertebral centrum discovered near Orenburg, Russia. the species was moved into its own genus by Per-Ove Persson in 1959 after several differences were observed between the Russian centra and new fossils from Skåne and the type species of Cimoliasaurus. Due to the limited type material and the lack of diagnostic features in the Swedish fossils confidently separating Scanisaurus from other Late Cretaceous elasmosaurids, the genus is of questionable validity, though it continues to be used in practice.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Scanisaurus (revision 1365660064), 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: Q7430040.
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