A species of these creatures existed until about 90 million years ago – in the late Cretaceous period.
Paleontologists on the island of Svalbard, which is a Norwegian archipelago located in the Arctic Ocean 1300 km from the North Pole, found the remains of an ichthyosaur. They are large extinct marine reptiles that lived during the Mesozoic era and first appeared about 250 million years ago, that is, older than dinosaurs, writes Heritage Daily.
In general, the way of life of these animals resembles that of modern dolphins. But over time, these early amphibious reptiles evolved from a group of unknown land reptiles and learned to swim better. So, their feet became fins, and the body shape became “fish-shaped”.
The researchers studied “crocodile-like” amphibian bones, which preserve the bones’ internal microstructure.
“This indicates that these ancient animals had the adaptive characteristics of rapid growth, increased metabolism, and a completely oceanic. marine reptiles, it pushes back the origin and the early appearance of ichthyosaurs to the beginning of the age of the dinosaurs.” said the scientists.
Recall that early archaeologists discovered an unusual Roman-era sphinx in the temple complex of Dendera in the Egyptian province of Qena.
Archaeologists have discovered a tomb from the Tang Dynasty
news Correspondent.net on Telegram. Subscribe to our channel Athletistic
Source: korrespondent
I am Ben Stock, a passionate and experienced digital journalist working in the news industry. At the Buna Times, I write articles covering technology developments and related topics. I strive to provide reliable information that my readers can trust. My research skills are top-notch, as well as my ability to craft engaging stories on timely topics with clarity and accuracy.