Scientists they have discovered the fossil of a the mysterious marine reptile from 150 million years ago belongs to a species that had not yet been discovered.
He well preserved reptileIt was found in a deep Jurassic marine deposit along the coast of the English Channel at Dorset.
Experts say that aquatic reptiles were part of a group known as ichthyosaurs, which were streamlined marine predators of the late Jurassic period.
Pgthe aleontologist Megan L. Jacobs, a Baylor University doctoral candidate a geosciences and co-author of a study published in the journal PLOS ONE, dit: “This ichthyosaur has several differences that make it unique enough to be its own genus and species.
“New Late Jurassic ichthyosaurs in the UK are extremely rare, as these creatures have been studied for 200 years.
“We knew it was new almost instantly, but it took about a year to make thorough comparisons with all the other Late Jurassic ichthyosaurs to make sure our instincts were correct.
“It was very exciting not to be able to find a match.”
Jacobs named the copy “Thalassodrachus etchesi“, which means” Engraved Sea Dragon, “which is a nod fossil collector Steve Etches MBE, WHO found the specimen in 2009 after a cliff collapsed along the coast.
Since its discovery, the specimen has been housed in the Jurassic Marine Life Museum in the Etches Collection in Kimmeridge, Dorset.
David, co-author of the study Martill, Ph.D., a professor of paleontology at the University of Portsmouth in Portsmouth, said: “Now that the new sea dragon has been officially named, it’s time to investigate its biology.
4 months ago“There are several things that make this animal special.”
He creature joIt is estimated to be about 2.5 meters long and appears to share some similarities to sperm with an “extremely deep rib cage”.
This may have allowed for larger lungs and extra space for internal organs so that they were not crushed under pressure.
Along with large eyes, which allowed him to see in low light, he also had hundreds of small teeth, indicating her the diet may have consisted of squid and small fish.
Jacobs continued: “They still had to breathe air on the surface and had no scales.
“Virtually nothing is known about the biology of these animals.
“We can only make assumptions from the fossils we have, but today there is nothing like it.
“Finally, to adapt to being completely aquatic, they could no longer climb ashore to lay eggs, so they evolved into a live breeding first.
“There have been skeletons found with babies inside the mother and also those that were really being born.”