Simolestes fossil map
Where fossils of Simolestes have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 160 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 160 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 | 168.6–143.1 million years ago (Bajocian to Tithonian) |
| Periods | Jurassic |
| Family | Pliosauridae |
| Named by | Andrews 1909 |
| Fossil records | 5 occurrences at 5 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | India, United Kingdom, France |
| Rock formations | Umia, Oxford Clay, Marnes de Gravelotte (=La Gravclotte Marls) |
About Simolestes
Simolestes (meaning "snub-nosed thief") is an extinct pliosaurid genus that lived in the Middle to Late Jurassic. The type specimen, NHMUK PV R 3319 is an almost complete but crushed skeleton diagnostic to Simolestes vorax, dating back to the Callovian of the Oxford Clay formation, England. The genus might also be known from the Tithonian Bhuj Formation of India (S. indicus), but the referral of this species to Simolestes is dubious. S. keileni from France was moved to the new genus Lorrainosaurus in 2023.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Simolestes (revision 1346829027), 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: Q311851.
