Prehistoric reptile genera

Titanoboa (; ) is a genus of extinct giant boid snake (being the biological family of all boas and anacondas) that lived during the middle and late Paleocene epoch. Titanoboa was first discovered in the early 2000s by members of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, which–along with students from the University of Florida–recovered 186 fossils of Titanoboa from the Cerrejón coal mines in the La Guajira department of northeastern Colombia. It was named and described in 2009 as Titanoboa cerrejonensis, and lauded as the largest snake ever found at that time. The original type

Tanystropheus (~ 'long' + 'hinged') is an extinct genus of archosauromorph reptile which lived during the Triassic Period in Europe, Asia, and North America. It is recognisable by its extremely elongated neck, longer than the torso and tail combined. The neck was composed of 13 vertebrae strengthened by extensive cervical ribs. Tanystropheus is one of the most well-described non-archosauriform archosauromorphs, known from numerous fossils, including nearly complete skeletons. Some species within the genus may have reached a total length of , making Tanystropheus the longest non-archosauriform

Mesosaurus (meaning "middle lizard") is an extinct genus of aquatic reptile from the late Early Permian (Kungurian, ~275 million years ago) of southern Africa and South America. It is the only member of the family Mesosauridae and order Mesosauria. Two other genera of mesosaurs, Brazilosaurus and Stereosternum, were formerly recognised, but are now considered synonyms of Mesosaurus. Mesosaurus contains a single valid species, M. tenuidens. Mesosaurus represents one of the earliest lineages of aquatically adapted reptiles. It had many adaptations to a fully aquatic lifestyle. Mesosaurus lived a

Scutosaurus ("shield lizard") is an extinct genus of pareiasaurian reptile. Fossils have been found in the Sokolki Assemblage Zone of the Malokinelskaya Formation in European Russia, close to the Ural Mountains, dating to the late Permian (Lopingian) between 259 and 252 million years ago. Its genus name refers to large plates of armor scattered across its body. With a body mass suggested to exceed , it was one of the largest reptiles of the Permian period.

Petrolacosaurus ("rock lake lizard") is an extinct genus of diapsid reptile from the late Carboniferous period. It was a small, long reptile, and one of the earliest known reptiles with two temporal fenestrae. This means that it was near the base of Diapsida (it may have been the basal taxon), the largest and most successful radiation of reptiles that would eventually include all modern reptile groups, as well as dinosaurs (which survived to the modern day as birds) and other famous extinct reptiles such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and pterosaurs. However, Petrolacosaurus itself was part of

Coelurosauravus (meaning "hollow-tailed lizard grandfather") is an extinct genus of gliding reptile, known from the Late Permian of Madagascar. Like other members of the family Weigeltisauridae, members of this genus possessed long, rod-like ossifications projecting outwards from the body. These bony rods were not extensions of the ribs but were instead a feature unique to weigeltisaurids. It is believed that during life, these structures formed folding wings used for gliding flight, similar to living gliding Draco lizards.

Longisquama is a genus of extinct reptile containing only one species, L. insignis, known from a poorly preserved skeleton and several incomplete fossil impressions from the Middle to Late Triassic Madygen Formation of Kyrgyzstan. The generic name means "long scales", and the specific name insignis means "unusual", in Latin. The holotype is notable for a number of long feather-like structures growing from its back. The affinities of Longisquama among reptiles have long been contentious, with some researchers controversially connecting Longisquama and its back structures to the origin of birds

Sharovipteryx ("Sharov's wing", known until 1981 as Podopteryx, "foot wing") is a genus of early gliding reptiles containing the single species Sharovipteryx mirabilis. It is known from a single fossil and is the only glider with a membrane surrounding the pelvis instead of the pectoral girdle. This lizard-like reptile was found in 1965 in the Madygen Formation, Dzailauchou, on the southwest edge of the Fergana Valley in Kyrgyzstan, in what was then the Asian part of the U.S.S.R. dating to the middle-late Triassic period (about 225 million years ago). The Madygen horizon displays flora that pu

Odontochelys semitestacea (meaning "toothed turtle with a half-shell") is a Late Triassic relative of turtles. Before Pappochelys was discovered and Eunotosaurus was redescribed, Odontochelys was considered the oldest undisputed member of Pantestudines (i.e. a stem-turtle). It is the only known species in the genus Odontochelys and the family Odontochelyidae.

Scleromochlus (from , 'hard' and , 'lever') is an extinct genus of small pterosauromorph archosaurs from the Late Triassic Lossiemouth Sandstone of Scotland. The genus contains the type and only species Scleromochlus taylori, named by Arthur Smith Woodward in 1907.

Proganochelys is a genus of extinct, primitive stem-turtle. Proganochelys was named by Georg Baur in 1887 as the oldest turtle in existence at the time. The name Proganochelys comes from the Greek word ganos meaning 'brightness', combined with prefix pro, 'before', and Greek base chelys meaning 'turtle'. Proganochelys is believed to have been around 1 meter in size and herbivorous in nature. Proganochelys had been known as the most primitive stem-turtle for over a century, until the novel discovery of Odontochelys in 2008. Odontochelys and Proganochelys share unique primitive features that are

Protoavis (meaning "first bird") is a problematic taxon known from fragmentary remains from Late Triassic Norian stage deposits near Post, Texas. The animal's true classification has been the subject of much controversy, and there are many different interpretations of what the taxon actually is. When it was first described, the fossils were described as being from a primitive bird which, if the identification is valid, would push back avian origins some 60–75 million years.

Euparkeria (; meaning "Parker's good animal", named in honor of W. K. Parker) is an extinct genus of archosauriform reptile from the Triassic of South Africa. Euparkeria is close to the ancestry of Archosauria, the reptile group that includes crocodilians, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs (including birds).

Rutiodon (meaning "wrinkle tooth") is an extinct genus of mystriosuchine phytosaurs from the Late Triassic of the eastern United States. The type species of Rutiodon, Rutiodon carolinensis, encompasses a large number of skulls and assorted postcranial fossils discovered in the Cumnock Formation of North Carolina. Fossils referable to the species are also known from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Virginia. Rutiodon carolinensis is the most well-described species of phytosaur in eastern North America, though its validity as a natural taxon has been questioned. Some paleontologists also recognize

Pareiasaurus (from , "cheek" and , "lizard") is an extinct genus of pareiasauromorph reptile from the Permian period. It was a typical member of its family, the pareiasaurids, which take their name from this genus.

Protorosaurus (from , 'earlier' and , 'lizard') is an extinct genus of reptile. Members of the genus lived during the late Permian period in what is now Germany and Great Britain. Once believed to have been an ancestor to lizards, Protorosaurus is now known to be one of the oldest and most primitive members of Archosauromorpha, the group that would eventually lead to archosaurs such as crocodilians and dinosaurs.

Dinocephalosaurus (meaning "terrible-headed reptile") is a genus of long necked, aquatic protorosaur that inhabited the Triassic seas of China. The genus contains the type and only known species, D. orientalis, which was named by Chun Li in 2003. Unlike other long-necked protorosaurs (which form a group known as the tanystropheids), Dinocephalosaurus convergently evolved a long neck not through elongation of individual neck vertebrae, but through the addition of neck vertebrae that each had a moderate length. As indicated by phylogenetic analyses, it belonged in a separate lineage that also i

Hyperodapedon (from , 'above' and , 'pavement') is an extinct genus of rhynchosaur reptiles which lived during Late Triassic period. Like other rhynchosaurs, it was a heavily built archosauromorph, distantly related to archosaurs such as crocodilians and dinosaurs. Hyperodapedon in particular was part of the subfamily Hyperodapedontinae, a specialized rhynchosaurian subgroup with broad skulls, beaked snouts, and crushing tooth plates on the roof of the mouth.

Archosaurus (meaning "ruling lizard") is an extinct genus of carnivorous proterosuchid archosauriform reptile. Its fossils are dated to the latest Permian of Russia, it is one of the earliest known archosauriforms. The type and only species is Archosaurus rossicus, known from several fragmentary specimens which cumulatively represent parts of the skull and cervical vertebrae. It would have been long when fully grown.

Proterosuchus is an extinct genus of archosauriform reptiles that lived during the Early Triassic. It contains three valid species: the type species P. fergusi and the referred species P. alexanderi and P. goweri. All three species lived in what is now South Africa. The genus was named in 1903 by the South African paleontologist Robert Broom. The genus Chasmatosaurus is a junior synonym of Proterosuchus.

Champsosaurus is an extinct genus of crocodile-like choristodere reptile, known from the Late Cretaceous and early Paleogene periods of North America and Europe (Campanian–Paleocene). The name Champsosaurus is thought to come from , () said in an Ancient Greek source to be an Egyptian word for "crocodiles", and , () Greek for "lizard". The morphology of Champsosaurus resembles that of gharials, with a long, elongated snout. It was native to freshwater environments where it likely preyed on fish, similar to living gharials.

Erythrosuchus (from , 'red' and , 'crocodile') is an extinct genus of archosauriform reptiles from the early to middle Triassic of South Africa. Remains have been found in the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone of the Beaufort Group in the Karoo of South Africa. In the Late Triassic, the ecological niche left by Erythrosuchus was filled by archosaurs including Saurosuchus and Postosuchus.

left|thumb|upright|Skull reconstruction thumb|upright|Size of Kuehneosaurus (orange, right( compared to fellow kuehneosaurids Kuehneosuchus and [[Icarosaurus, as well as to other unrelated extinct gliding reptiles and Draco volans, a living gliding lizard.]] Kuehneosaurus is an extinct genus of Late Triassic kuehneosaurid reptile known from the Late Triassic (Norian stage) of the Penarth Group of southwest England and the Steinmergel Group of Luxembourg. Temperature at this stage and region would have ranged from 28 to 35 °C. It was named by Pamela Lamplugh Robinson in 1962 in honour of p

Albisaurus (meaning "Albis [River] lizard") was once thought to be a genus of dinosaur, but is now thought to be a non-dinosaurian archosaur. It was first described by Antonin Fritsch (also spelt Frič), a Czech palaeontologist, in 1893, but the remains are sparse. The validity of the species cannot be proven based on the fossil remains, and it is usually marked as a nomen dubium. It lived during the Turonian-Santonian stages of the Cretaceous period (about 90–84 million years ago).

Askeptosaurus is an extinct genus of askeptosauroid, a marine reptile from the extinct order Thalattosauria. Askeptosaurus is known from several well-preserved fossils found in Middle Triassic marine strata in what is now Italy and Switzerland.

thumb|left|Restored skull

thumb|left|Life restoration of Hypsognathus Hypsognathus (from , 'height' and , 'jaw') is an extinct genus of procolophonid parareptile from the Late Triassic of New Jersey, Connecticut, and Nova Scotia.

Icarosaurus (meaning "Icarus lizard") is an extinct genus of kuehneosaurid reptile from the Late Triassic (Norian age) Lower Lockatong Formation of New Jersey. It is known from a partial skeleton missing part of the tail, some ribs, a hand, and parts of the legs, it was a small animal, about 10 centimeters (4 in) long from the skull to the hips. Like its relative Kuehneosaurus, it was able to glide short distances using 'wings' consisting of highly elongated ribs covered with skin. These gliding membranes would have had a convex upper surface and a concave lower surface, thus creatin

Azendohsaurus is an extinct genus of herbivorous archosauromorph reptile from roughly the late Middle to early Late Triassic Period of Morocco and Madagascar. The type species, Azendohsaurus laaroussii, was described and named by Jean-Michel Dutuit in 1972 based on partial jaw fragments and some teeth from Morocco. A second species from Madagascar, A. madagaskarensis, was first described in 2010 by John J. Flynn and colleagues from a multitude of specimens representing almost the entire skeleton. The generic name "Azendoh lizard" is for the village of Azendoh, a local village near where it was

Hovasaurus is an extinct genus of basal diapsid reptile. It lived in what is now Madagascar during the Late Permian and Early Triassic, being a survivor of the Permian–Triassic extinction event and the paleontologically youngest member of the Tangasauridae. Fossils have been found in the Permian Lower and Triassic Middle Sakamena Formations of the Sakamena Group, where it is amongst the commonest fossils. Its morphology suggests an aquatic ecology.

Hyphalosaurus (meaning "submerged lizard") is a genus of freshwater aquatic reptiles, belonging to the extinct order Choristodera. They lived during the early Cretaceous period (late Barremian to early Aptian age), about 123-120 million years ago. The genus contains two species, H. lingyuanensis from the Yixian Formation and H. baitaigouensis from both the Yixian and Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning Province, China. They are among the best-known animals from the Jehol Biota, with thousands of fossil specimens representing all growth stages in scientific and private collections.

Paleothyris is an extinct genus of small reptiliomorph which lived in the Moscovian (Carboniferous) age of the Late Carboniferous in Nova Scotia.

Bradysaurus is a genus of large, primitive and widespread pareiasaur. They possessed a covering of armoured scutes, likely serving as defense against their main predators, the gorgonopsians.

Zanclodon ("scythe tooth") is an extinct genus of archosauriform from the Erfurt Formation in southern Germany. It was once a wastebasket taxon until a taxonomic revision by Schoch (2011) left only the paratype (SMNS 6045) within Zanclodon laevis proper. The type species is Z. laevis.

genus of reptiles (fossil)

Avipes (meaning "bird foot") is a genus of extinct archosaurs represented by the single species Avipes dillstedtianus, which lived during the middle Triassic period. The only known fossil specimen, a partial foot (metatarsals), was found in Bedheim, Thuringia, Germany, in deposits of Lettenkohlensandstein (a form of sandstone). Avipes was named in 1932 by Huene. Although originally classified as a coelurosaur or a ceratosaur, a new study of the fossil specimen found that it was too incomplete to assign to a group more specific than Archosauria, and so it was regarded as indeterminate by Rauhut

Mystriosuchus (meaning "spoon-crocodile") is an extinct genus of phytosaur that lived in the Late Triassic (middle Norian) in Europe and Greenland. It was first named by Eberhard Fraas in 1896, and includes four species: M. planirostris (the type species), M. westphali, M. steinbergeri, and M. alleroq.

Megalancosaurus is a genus of extinct sauropsid from the Late Triassic Dolomia di Forni Formation and Zorzino Limestone of northern Italy, and one of the best known drepanosaurids. The type species is M. preonensis; a translation of the animal's scientific name would be "long armed reptile from the Preone Valley."

Procolophon (from , 'before' and , 'summit') is a genus of lizard-like procolophonid parareptiles that first appeared in the Early Triassic (Induan) of South Africa, Brazil, and Antarctica. It persisted through the Permian–Triassic extinction event, but went extinct in the beginning of the Early Middle Triassic.

left|thumb|Front of T. buettneri skeleton, American Museum of Natural History Trilophosaurus (Greek for "lizard with three ridges") is a lizard-like trilophosaurid allokotosaur known from the Late Triassic of North America. It was a herbivore up to 2.5 m long.

Drepanosaurus (; "sickle lizard") is a genus of arboreal (tree-dwelling) reptile that lived during the Triassic Period. It is a member of the Drepanosauridae, a group of diapsid reptiles known for their prehensile tails. Drepanosaurus was probably an insectivore, and lived in a coastal environment in what is now modern day Italy, as well as in a streamside environment in the southwestern United States.

Captorhinus (from , 'to gulp down' and , 'nose') is an extinct genus of captorhinid reptiles that lived during the Permian period. Its remains are known from North America (Oklahoma, Texas) and possibly South America.

Arctosaurus is an extinct genus of archosauromorph, possibly an allokotosaurian, but was often classified as a sauropodomorph dinosaur between 1900 and 1976. Although it has also been classified as a theropod, recent review finds that the similarities it shares with theropods are spread throughout several groups of Late Triassic reptiles, and so it cannot be assigned any more specifically than to Archosauriformes. Other authors have suggested trilophosaurian affinities. Based on the size of the vertebra, a size of about in length is extrapolated.

Milleretta is an extinct genus of millerettid stem-group reptile from the Late Permian of what is now South Africa. Fossils have been found in the Balfour Formation. Its only known species is Milleretta rubidgei, although several other species of millerettid have been synonymized with this genus. Milleretta and its close relatives are unique among Paleozoic stem reptiles in that it secondarily closed an upper and lower temporal fenestra during ontogeny.

Shringasaurus (meaning "horned lizard", from Sanskrit शृङ्ग (śṛṅga), "horn", and Ancient Greek (sauros), "lizard") is an extinct genus of archosauromorph reptile from the Middle Triassic (Anisian) of India. It is known from the type and only known species, S. indicus. Shringasaurus is known from the Denwa Formation in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Shringasaurus was an allokotosaur, a group of unusual herbivorous reptiles from the Triassic, and is most closely related to the smaller and better known Azendohsaurus in the family Azendohsauridae. Like some ceratopsid dinosaurs, Shringasaurus had tw

Smilosuchus (from Ancient Greek σμίλη (smílē), meaning "knife, chisel", and Σοῦχος (Soûkhos), meaning "Sobek") is an extinct genus of leptosuchomorph parasuchid phytosaurs from the Late Triassic of North America. Three species have been named: the type species S. gregorii, S. adamanensis, and S. lithodendrorum, all recovered from the Norian-aged Chinle Formation of Arizona.

Elginia is an extinct genus of pareiasaurid known from the Late Permian of Scotland and China. It was named for the area around Elgin in Scotland, which has yielded many fossils referred to as the Elgin Reptiles.

Garjainia is an extinct genus of erythrosuchid archosauriform reptile from the Olenekian of Russia and South Africa. It contains two species, Garjainia prima, from the Yarengian/Yarkenskian Supergorizont of Russia, and Garjainia madiba, from the Burgersdorp Formation (Cynognathus Assemblage Zone A) of South Africa. "Vjuskovia triplicostata", a name assigned to some erythrosuchid fossils from Russia, has been synonymized with Garjainia prima.

Claudiosaurus (after the discoverer Claude Germain and saurus, 'lizard') is an extinct genus of diapsid reptiles from the Late Permian Sakamena Formation of the Morondava Basin, Madagascar. It has been suggested to be semi-aquatic.

Doswellia is an extinct genus of archosauriform reptile from the Late Triassic of North America. It is the namesake of the family Doswelliidae, related to the proterochampsids which were more common in South America. Doswellia was a low and heavily built carnivore which lived during the Late Triassic. It possesses many unusual features, including a wide, flattened head with narrow jaws and a box-like rib cage covered by at least ten rows of bony plates.

thumb|250px|left|An outdated reconstruction of Belodon and Aetosaurus. The [[skull of Belodon is based on Nicrosaurus kapffi, and the carapace on Paratypothorax]]

Youngina (named after John Young (1823–1900)) is an extinct genus of small, lizard-like stem-group reptile from the Late Permian Beaufort Group (Cistecephalus–Daptocephalus assemblage zones) of the Karoo Supergroup of South Africa. Youngina has been the subject of considerable scientific attention due to its basal position within Neodiapsida (having diverged before the last common ancestor of all living reptiles) and its well-preserved skulls, with Youngina seen as providing insight into the plesiomorphic (ancestral) morphology of the last common ancestor of living reptiles.

Ankistrodon is an extinct genus of archosauriform known from the Early Triassic Panchet Formation of India. First thought to be a theropod dinosaur, it was later determined to be a proterosuchid. The type species is A. indicus, described by prolific British zoologist Thomas Henry Huxley in 1865. One authority in the 1970s classified Ankistrodon as a senior synonym of Proterosuchus. Ezcurra (2023) found Ankistrodon to be a nomen dubium, as the teeth are indistinguishable from those of Proterosuchus. A second Indian proterosuchid from the same formation, Samsarasuchus, was also described in the

Pleurosaurus, from Ancient Greek πλευρά (pleurá), meaning "rib" or "side", and σαυρος (sauros), meaning "lizard", is an extinct genus of aquatic reptiles belonging to the order Rhynchocephalia. Pleurosaurus fossils have primarily been discovered in the Solnhofen Limestone of Bavaria, Germany and the Canjuers lagerstatte near Canjuers, France, both dating to the Late Jurassic. It contains two species, P. goldfussi and P. ginsburgi.

Eudibamus is an extinct genus of bolosaurid reptile known from the Early Permian of the Free State of Thuringia in central Germany. It was a small reptile, only 25-26 cm in length. Like other bolosaurids, it was probably an agile herbivore, and it shows a long list of adaptations for bipedal (two-legged) movement. The hindlimbs had a parasagittal stance, with close-set and nearly vertical legs similar to dinosaurs and mammals. The tail and hindlimbs are very long, the forelimbs are slender, the digits are closely bundled together, and the ankle joint is hinge-like. Eudibamus is regarded a

Malerisaurus is an extinct genus of archosauromorph known from Telangana of India and Texas of the USA.

Redondasaurus is an extinct genus or subgenus of phytosaur from the Late Triassic (late Norian or Rhaetian) of the southwestern United States. It was named by Hunt & Lucas in 1993, and contains two species, R. gregorii and R. bermani. It is the youngest and most evolutionarily-advanced of the phytosaurs.

Thadeosaurus is an extinct genus of diapsid reptiles from the late Permian Lower Sakamena Formation (Sakamena Group) of Madagascar. The genus contains a single species, Thadeosaurus colcanapi, known from several specimens preserved as natural molds.

Spinoaequalis is an extinct genus of lizard-like araeoscelidian. It is known from a single species, S. schultzei based on fossils found in Kansas, United States. About 30 cm (1 ft), long it is one of the earliest known amniotes to have returned to the water. Spinoaequalis was not fully aquatic, frequently returning to dry land. It probably swam using its laterally flattened, fanned tail. Its name means "symmetrical spine" referring to its deep, laterally compressed tail. Spinoaequalis was described and named by Michael deBraga and Robert Reisz in 1995.

Hypuronector is a genus of extinct drepanosaur reptile from the Late Triassic Lockatong Formation of New Jersey. The etymology of the name translates as "deep-tailed swimmer from the lake", in reference to its assumed aquatic habits hypothesized by its discoverers. Hypuronector was related to the arboreal Megalancosaurus. It was a small animal, estimated to be only long in life. So far dozens of specimens of Hypuronector are known, though scientists have not found any complete skeletons. This makes attempts to reconstruct Hypuronector's body or lifestyle highly speculative and controversial.