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It is ten meters long, its skull weighs a ton: giant ichthyosaur found in reservoir
These are fossils of an ichthyosaur. The reptile was reminiscent of today’s dolphins with their plumage from about 180 million years ago. Animals can grow up to 20 meters long. They died out about 90 million years ago. The reasons are not known.
Ichthyosaurs lived and swam in the ocean 180 million years ago. A huge fossil of these prehistoric animals has now been discovered in England.
This ichthyosaur fossil is an absolute attraction for anyone interested in dinosaurs: it’s ten meters long and the skull alone weighs a ton – British researchers have found the remains of one such ichthyosaur in a reservoir in the East Midlands . It is the largest and most complete fossil of its kind ever discovered in Great Britain, British news agency PA reported on Monday.
The East Midlands is a region in the middle of Great Britain, the largest cities being Derby, Leicester and Nottingham.
The ichthyosaur, discovered during the regular emptying of part of the Rutland water reservoir near Peterborough, is about 180 million years old. “This is a highly significant discovery nationally and internationally, but also one of the most important to the people of Rutland and the surrounding region,” said Mark Evans of the British Antarctic Survey.
ichthyosaurs lived in the sea
Ichthyosaur fossils, which were marine reptiles, were discovered in England in the early 19th century by paleontology pioneer Mary Anning off the coast of Dorset.
Watch in video: Fossil dinosaur egg is 70 million years old. Researchers call the discovery one of the best-preserved specimens of its kind ever discovered – and it has hidden a mystery.
