Stunning Jurassic 'Sea Monster' Found in India
The well-preserved fossil is helping paleontologists understand how ichthyosaurs spread across the ancient world.
Bones that recently emerged from the dirt in northwest India belonged to a “sea monster” the size of a small boat prowled the deep, dark waters more than 150 million years ago.
The newfound fossil is a nearly intact skeleton of an ichthyosaur, a group of marine reptiles that terrorized the seas during the age of the dinosaurs. These animals were the dolphins or whales of their time: svelte fish-eaters with huge eyes, narrow jaws, and cone-shaped teeth.
The Indian ichthyosaur, which lived between 152 and 157 million years ago, is the first Jurassic sea monster discovered in the region. Unveiled on October 25 in PLOS ONE, the fossil is now helping paleontologists better understand how ichthyosaurs spread across the ancient world.
Full story with pics at site
The well-preserved fossil is helping paleontologists understand how ichthyosaurs spread across the ancient world.
Bones that recently emerged from the dirt in northwest India belonged to a “sea monster” the size of a small boat prowled the deep, dark waters more than 150 million years ago.
The newfound fossil is a nearly intact skeleton of an ichthyosaur, a group of marine reptiles that terrorized the seas during the age of the dinosaurs. These animals were the dolphins or whales of their time: svelte fish-eaters with huge eyes, narrow jaws, and cone-shaped teeth.
The Indian ichthyosaur, which lived between 152 and 157 million years ago, is the first Jurassic sea monster discovered in the region. Unveiled on October 25 in PLOS ONE, the fossil is now helping paleontologists better understand how ichthyosaurs spread across the ancient world.
Full story with pics at site
