Where are ichthyosaur fossils found?

For more than a century, people have found ichthyosaur fossils with traces of soft tissue, a consequence of the animals’ deep-sea burials in low-oxygen sediments. The best-known of these fossils come from the shale quarries of Holzmaden, Germany.

What type of fossil is the ichthyosaur?

This 195-million-year-old marine reptile was discovered at some time before 1836 by the British palaeontologist Mary Anning (1799–1847). It is an ichthyosaur from the Jurassic period, and the fossil contains the visible remains of prehistoric fish in its stomach.

Why are ichthyosaurs not dinosaurs?

Ichthyosaurs were not dinosaurs, but represent a separate group of marine vertebrates. Because ichthyosaurs were so specialized and modified for life in the ocean, we don’t really know which group of vertebrates were their closest relatives.

Did Dolphins evolve from ichthyosaurs?

Textbooks aren’t known for their originality. Mesozoic “fish lizards”, ichthyosaurs were marine reptiles that independently became adapted to a life at sea around 200 million years before dolphins. …

How do you make a fossil of an Ichthyosaurus?

A fossil version of the ichthyosaurus can be created by right-clicking a bio-fossil on the ground, which will create a random skeleton of a Mesozoic-era prehistoric creature with a small chance of it being a ichthyosaur.

How did The Posidonienschiefer get its name?

The Posidonienschiefer, as German paleontologists call it, takes its name from the ubiquitous fossils of the oyster-related bivalve Posidonia bronni that characterize the mollusk faunal component of the formation.

How big was the largest ichthyosaur fossil ever found?

The largest complete ichthyosaurus fossil ever discovered, at 3.5 metres (11ft), was found to have a foetus still inside its womb. Scientists said in August 2017 that the incomplete embryo was less than seven centimetres (2.7 inches) long and consisted of preserved vertebrae, a forefin, ribs and a few other bones.

When did ichthyosaurs go extinct 90 million years ago?

Ichthyosaurs were a highly successful group of sea-going reptiles that became extinct around 90 million years ago. They appeared during the Triassic, reached their peak during the Jurassic, and disappeared during the Cretaceous period. Often misidentified as swimming dinosaurs, these reptiles appeared before the first dinosaurs had emerged.