Kaganaias
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| Kaganaias Temporal range: Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Kaganaias hakusanensis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | †Dolichosauridae |
| Genus: | †Kaganaias Evans, et al. 2006 |
| Species: | †K. hakusanensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Kaganaias hakusanensis Evans, et al. 2006 | |
Kaganaias (meaning 'Kaga water nymph') is an extinct genus of basal and oldest dolichosaur[2][3][4][5] that lived in what is now Japan during the Early Cretaceous. Kaganaias was semi-aquatic and is the only known aquatic squamate from before the Cenomanian stage of the Cretaceous. It is also the first to be found in an inland area, instead of on the coast where aquatic squamates are commonly found.[6] Its generic name is derived from Kaga Province, the old name for the Ishikawa Prefecture where the specimens were found, while the species name hakusanensis comes from the mountain that gives its name to Hakusan the city near its find site. The geological formation in which the specimens were found, the Kuwajima Formation, stands alongside the Tetori River and has been the site of numerous other finds including molluscs, dinosaurs, fish, and pterosaurs.