Guizhouichthyosaurus (Youran) (Prehistoric Animal Models by PNSO)

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In the wake of PNSO’s run of ceratopsians it appears as though they’ve moved on to a new succession of prehistoric animal figures, marine reptiles. Not just any marine reptiles though, Triassic marine reptiles known from China. This has dashed the hopes of those wishing for a new Mosasaurus or long-necked plesiosaur and those who focus solely on dinosaurs are starting to tire of this latest wave of figures, but I couldn’t be happier. The Triassic is one of my favorite geologic periods and I appreciate the diversity of obscure genera we’re getting from PNSO. Today we’re looking at the first figure to kick off this wave, the Guizhouichthyosaurus.

Guizhouichthyosaurus is a genus of Triassic ichthyosaur described in 2000 and discovered in the Xiaowa Formation of southwest China. For a time, it was lumped together with Shastasaurus. PNSO has also made a model of another ichthyosaur from the Xiaowa formation, Guanlingsaurus. Guizhouichthyosaurus is known from a number of specimens, including a nearly complete 16’ (4.8 meters) individual.

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Youran measures 8.25” (20.96 cm) in total length while the actual Guizhouichthyosaurus measured 16-23’ (4.8-7 meters). This puts the figure between 1/23-1/33 in scale. Gregory Paul gives an estimated length of 33’ (10 meters) in The Princeton Field Guide to Mesozoic Sea Reptiles. Using his estimate puts the figure at 1/48 in scale.

The PNSO Guizhouichthyosaurus follows the typical ichthyosaur body plan with a narrow snout and long streamlined body. The body and tail are particularly long on Guizhouichthyosaurus and that’s well reflected here. The flippers are all long, narrow, and blade-like. The size and placement of the dorsal fin and upper caudal lobe are speculative, since we don’t have those bits for Guizhouichthyosaurus. The figure is positioned with a gentle leftward bend in the tail. The foreflippers stick out to the sides while the hindflippers point down. The figure comes with two support rods to rest upon.

There’s not a lot of fine details on this smooth bodied ichthyosaur but there are some faint skin folds around the neck and jaw, and muscle definition along the tail. Nostrils are sculpted close to the base of the snout, and the faint outline of the orbits can be seen around the eyes. A seam runs down the entire side of the figure but it’s not too noticeable and thankfully doesn’t wrap around the head like on some of PNSO’s older marine animal figures. A slightly puckered cloaca is sculpted between the hindflippers.

Youran is attractively painted with black and white countershading and a yellow streak running along each side. I particularly like the yellow streak as it reminds me of the yellow streaks seen on some dolphin species, like the Atlantic white-sided and short-beaked common dolphin. The patterning is attractive too, with jagged edges separating the black and white portions and additional black spotting on the underside. The flippers are edged in white, and the dorsal and caudal fins are tipped in white. The eyes are brown with black pupils, and the cloaca is highlighted in pink. The figure doesn’t have the sheen of some of PNSO’s older marine animals, and I’ve seen some lament that fact but I’m unbothered by it.

With the Safari Ltd. Atlantic white-sided dolphin.

With the PNSO *Livyatan* and *Cretoxyrhina*.

Youran the Guizhouichthyosaurus is a fantastic little ichthyosaur figure that should be welcome in any collection of Triassic or marine animals. It’s also undisputedly one of the best-looking ichthyosaur models to come around in a while. This is exactly the kind of model that has been missing from PNSO’s roster for several years now. I don’t know how long this marine reptile kick will last but I hope they keep it up for a bit longer. This figure is widely available online for about $35.