Indian Ichthyosaur
XXXXXXXXX was found in the Katrol Formation in Gujurat, India, which is around 30 kilometers northeast of Bhuj, in the Rann of Kutch. This find represents the first Jurassic ichthyosaur to be discovered in India.[1]
| Unknown Indian Ichthyosaur Temporal range: Jurassic
| |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Superorder: | Ichthyoptergia
|
| Order: | Ichthyosauria
|
| Family: | Ophthalmosauridae
|
Description
The specimen of XXXXXXXX comprises of a broad partial skeleton. The original skeleton measured 3.6 meters (11.8 feet),and was 5.5 meters (18 feet) once the other parts were found.[2] The skeleton includes an incomplete premaxilla, several cervical vertebrae, dorsal and pre-flexural regions, left forefin, possible right forefin and isolated teeth, vertebrae of posterior caudal and postflexural regions, and phalanges possibly belonging to the skeleton.[1]
Premaxilla and Teeth
The incomplete premaxillary bone is around 36 cm in length. The preserved bone is a part of the bone that is anterior to the nasal and up to the tip of the snout. Both the right and the left labial faces of the premaxilla bear a longitudinal groove with a couple nutrient foramina opening up into its floor. The premaxilla is a semi cylindric bone with each side including an external facial and internal palatal part. The sectioned premaxilla contains 16 transverse sections. In each of the sections, the facial part of the bone is semi-lunate in shape with a convex outer face and concave inner face. The facial pair of bones meet along the midline and form the arch of the snout.
Multiple teeth were found in the premaxilla of XXXXXX, judging from their wear pattern, Dr. Guntupalli Prasad stated that XXXXXXX was a top tier predator that fed on bony and abrasive organisms (ammonoids and belemnites), fish and other marine reptiles.[3] However, the article by PLoS One that first proclaimed the specimen stated that it is unknown whether the abrasion was due to food procession or post mortem taphonomic processes.[1]
Axial Skeleton and Ribs
Due to the fact that the vertebral column was embedded in a hard matrix of rock and sand, there were no clear diagnostic characters to clearly differentiate the cervical vertebrae from dorsal or the caudal vertebrae. Because of this, the description of the vertebrae was not possible until the specimen is prepared. But, short and wide neural spines were observed on the anterior and middle sides.[1]
References
- https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/evolution/indian-ichthyosaur-fossil-proves-this-ancient-sea-monster-roamed-the-world/news-story/8832ececf970a6a4704a90d9541074a2
- Scientists Unearth Near-Complete Marine Reptile Fossil in India
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/jurassic-sea-monster-found-india-ichthyosaur-scienceScientists Discover India's Oldest Fossil Of A Jurassic Sea Monster
- https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0185851&type=printable
- https://thewire.in/science/ichthyosaur-kutch-gujarat-vertebrate-fossils-late-jurassic-palaeogeography
Citations
- ^ a b c d Prasad, Guntupalli V. R.; Pandey, Dhirendra K.; Alberti, Matthias; Fürsich, Franz T.; Thakkar, Mahesh G.; Chauhan, Gaurav D. (2017-10-25). Wong, William Oki (ed.). "Discovery of the first ichthyosaur from the Jurassic of India: Implications for Gondwanan palaeobiogeography". PLOS ONE. 12 (10): e0185851. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0185851. ISSN 1932-6203.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ "Remarkably Complete 150 Million Year Old Marine Reptile Fossil Found in Gujarat". The Wire. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
- ^ Magazine, Smithsonian; Katz, Brigit. "Scientists Unearth Near-Complete Marine Reptile Fossil in India". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
