| Named By: | Joseph Leidy in 1868 |
| Time Period: | 240-210 Ma Between the Middle and Late Triassic |
| Location: | USA, Nevada. Germany |
| Size: | Between 6 and 10 meters long |
| Diet: | Piscivore |
| Fossil(s): | Many specimens |
| Classification: | | Chordata | Reptilia | Diapsida | Ichthyopterygia | Ichthyosauria | |
Cymbospondylus ( A Greek word meaning "Boat Spine") was a basal early ichthyosaur that lived between the middle and later years of the Triassic period (240-210 million years ago). Previously, the genus was classified as a shastasaurid, however, more recent work finds it to be more basal.