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A groundbreaking discovery that alerts attention of those fascinated by the world that existed millions of years ago has been recently brought to light. A team of international paleontologists have unearthed skeletal remains of three new ichthyosaur species, ancient marine reptiles that may well have been among Earth’s largest ever creatures. The evidence was collected from several expeditions conducted between 1976 and 1990 high in the Swiss Alps.
The discovered fossils suggest one of these ichthyosaurs could rival the size of the largest marine reptile ever found—Shastasaurus sikkanniensis, whose fossilized remains indicate a length of around 21 meters. Additionally, the team has uncovered the largest ichthyosaur tooth ever found, doubling the width of the tooth root known from any other aquatic reptile.
These colossal marine reptiles roamed the Panthalassa, a massive ocean that surrounded the supercontinent Pangaea, around 205 million years ago during the Late Triassic. Their existence offers tantalizing insights into how life forms adapted to the ever-changing environments of our planet.
Lead author Dr. P. Martin Sandler of the University of Bonn said, “Life will go there if it can, there are distinct selective advantages to large body size,” while discussing the vast size of the discovered Ichthyosaur.
The ichthyosaurs’ physical attributes have drawn comparisons to contemporary whales, given their elongated bodies and erect tail fins. However, despite the size similarities, so little is known about the habits and lifestyle of these giant ancient sea creatures. The sheer size of the newly found fossils hints toward their suitability to the deeper ocean, painting a picture of these aquatic behemoths that patrolled global waters millions of years ago.
– Ichthyosaurs roamed the oceans around 250 million years ago until about 90 million years ago.
– The three new species were found in the Swiss Alps.
– The discovered ichthyosaur tooth is the largest ever found.
– These findings represent some of the largest animals to have ever existed on Earth.
– The ichthyosaur’s habitat was the massive ocean, Panthalassa that surrounded the supercontinent Pangaea.
*References:*
1: Phys.org: Huge new ichthyosaur, one of the largest animals ever, uncovered high in the Alps by Taylor & Francis
2: Canadian Science Publishing: A new genus of ichthyosaur from the Late Triassic Pardonet Formation of British Columbia: bridging the Triassic Jurassic gap