Santiago:
A 130 million-year-old fossil of a pregnant sea creature has been found in Chile, South America. The great thing is that many embryos have also been found in the stomach of this sea creature. This reptile named Ichthyosaur ruled the sea during the time of the dinosaurs.
This is the first time that a complete fossil body of an ichthyosaur has been found in Chile. The fossil was discovered by researchers from the University of Manchester in the deep Tyndall Glacier in Patagonia. Often misidentified as swimming dinosaurs, these reptiles existed on Earth before the dinosaurs. However, due to unknown reasons, these creatures became extinct from the earth 90 million years ago.
Ichthyosaur was the most powerful sea creature of its time
Ichthyosaurs, which reigned at the top of the food chain for millions of years, were the most powerful creatures in the ocean during their time. The currently discovered fossil is of a female ichthyosaur. Many embryos have also been found in the body of this fossil.
Dr Dean Lomax, the paleontologist involved in the study, said it was surprising that Ichthyosaurs were so well preserved in an extreme environment. This glacier is quite unstable, due to which the things inside it often come out. Despite this, the interior of this fossil looks quite good.
In addition to female ichthyosaurs, fossils of children and adults were also found.
Researchers said that apart from female Ichthyosaurs, complete skeletons of many adults, juveniles and newborns have been found at this place. On the basis of this, it can be claimed that ichthyosaurs used to rule this region 130 million years ago. The body of an ichthyosaur resembles that of a modern-day dolphin. The fossil of this creature was discovered in an expedition run during March and April 2022. This glacier is in such a rugged terrain that to reach here one has to trek for 10 hours.
It will help a lot in understanding about this creature.
Ichthyosaurs are the only pregnant creatures of the Valanginian–Hauterivian era (between 129 and 139 million years from the Early Cretaceous) that have been discovered on Earth. Professor Judith Pardo-Perez of Magellan University, who led this study team, explained that the discovery of this fossil with an embryo in the womb, about four meters long, complete, has revealed a lot about biology and the disease affecting it during its lifetime.
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