Shastasaur
| Shastasaurs Temporal range: Triassic
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| Infraorder: | Shastasauria Montani, 1998
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| Family: | Shastasauridae Merriam, 1895
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The shastasaurs were an early group of ichthyosaurs, living 230-210 million years ago, in the Triassic period. They had small heads with short, toothless snouts. They had reduced or no dorsal fins. Shastasaurs were the largest of all ichthyosaurs.
One species of the Western American shastasaurid, Shastasaurus sikanniensis, grew to 23 metres (75 ft) long. Shastasaurs ate fish and other soft-bodied aquatic animals via suction feeding. This group included the genera Shonisaurus, and Shastasaurus.
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