Expert Reconstruction of the 160 Million Year Old Fossil of Ancient Marine Reptiles, This Is What It Looks Like All

KOMPAS.com – Experts succeeded in reconstructing fossils reptile loud ichthyosaurus that lived on Earth about 160 million years ago.

The reconstruction, according to paleontologists, is the most recent reconstruction of ancient animals.

Citing Science Alert, Sunday (6/3/2022) ichthyosaurs lived during the Mesozoic Era along with dinosaurs. This dolphin-like animal is a marine reptile that swims and hunts in the ocean.

Also read: Giant Winged Reptile Fossil Found in Scotland, Like What?

Recently, paleontologists discovered preserved ichthyosaur soft tissue. The findings provide a much larger pool of information to use when figuring out what ichthyosaurs looked like.

This information in turn can help experts to understand how the animal lived.

The study was led by paleontologist Mats Eriksson of Lund University in Sweden. Previously, the research team had collected and analyzed previous studies on ichthyosaurs to facilitate research.

“We present a review of ichthyosaur research and lifestyle iconography with a particular focus on soft tissue structure including aspects of coloration and thermoregulation,” the authors write in their paper.

From many references, the research team focused on fossils found in the Posidonia Shale in Germany which have almost complete fossils.

From there the research team then asked artist Esben Horn to sculpt a reconstruction of the ichthyosaur species.

The process takes about a year using clay molds as well as 3D printing.

And the results were extraordinary, researchers finally found out that ichthyosaurs had smooth skin like leatherback turtles, which are today’s marine reptiles.

Previous studies concluded that ichthyosaurs had lost their scales during their evolutionary transition to the sea.

Reconstruction has also shown that ichthyosaurs had a thick layer of fat that protected them from cold temperatures. There is also evidence of melanosomes, cellular organelles that contain dark pigments that provide UV protection.

Also read: Discovery of Marine Reptile Fossil Reveals Early Giant Animals on Earth

This reconstruction is also a brilliant meeting of science and art as well as a representation of the most recent ichthyosaurs. While it is possible that more information will be revealed in the future, researchers say that will not change significantly.

“Our reconstruction is the most modern scientific interpretation of what an ichthyosaur looked like. It will be invaluable for students and researchers who want to learn more about ichthyosaurs,” Eriksson said.

This research was published in Earth-Science Review.

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