Ichthyosaurs Fish Lizards Reconstructed: Geologists Map 300 Years of Study on Prehistoric Marine Reptiles

Using a distinctively well-preserved fossil, a team of geologists developed a scientifically most up-to-date reconstruction of an ichthyosaur presently available.

A EurekAlert! report specified that the team from Lund University in Sweden has mapped 300 years of research on the said prehistoric marine reptiles.

Also called fish lizards, ichthyosaurs were quite a successful group of animals that, much like the present time's whales, moved from land to the oceans where they prospered for approximately 160 million years. The dolphin-like reptiles existed from the Early Triassic to the Late Cretaceous, roughly the same time as dinosaurs ruled planet Earth.

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(Photo : Pexels/Jeremy Bishop)
Similar to dolphins, most fish lizards are assumed to have given birth to live young, instead of laying eggs like the modern land-bound reptiles.

Fish Lizards

The fish lizards which were able to sustain themselves on a diet of turtles and octopuses, among other things, have left a rich fossil record behind.

Such fossil record consists mostly of teeth and bones, although recently the finding of soft tissues like skin, fat, muscles, and pigment, has opened up new opportunities for understanding the ecology and biology of these animals.

In new research published in Earth-Science Reviews, the team analyzed existing fish lizard study, something that will be beneficial for future paleontologists.

Researchers reconstruct ancient fish lizard @nature https://t.co/stJ7DO4gzV
— Phys.org (@physorg_com) March 3, 2022

According to professor of paleontology, Mats Eriksson from Lund University, this research history spans three centuries. It is worthy to note that the term ichthyosaur was derived in 1814, nearly 30 years, from the term dinosaur.

Aim to Develop a Scientifically Correct Life-Size Reconstruction

Based on the collective knowledge of the world of these ancient animals, as well as soft and hard fossil parts, the study authors enlisted the help of the Danish sculpture company 10 Tons, to develop a scientifically correct life-size reconstruction.

Geology researcher at Lund University, Johan Lindgren explained their reference point was a fish lizard that was discovered in Holzmaden, Germany.

He added the fossil has formerly been the subject of extensive research on the biology and coloration of fish lizards, which he did in collaboration with Mats and many other colleagues, and was published in Nature. A variety of methods which include clay sculpturing and 3D printing were employed in this work, something that took just more than one year.

Similarities with Dolphins

The sculpture initiative, which could be carried out with backing from the Crafoord Foundation, aims to replicate the present state of research. More so, the sculpture is presently on public display at the Department of Geology in Lund.

Describing their work, Eriksson said their reconstruction is the scientifically most up-to-date, and hopefully correct, understanding of what such animals appear like. He added it will be valuable for both researchers and students who want to learn more about the "iconic fish lizard."

Similar to dolphins, most ichthyosaurs are assumed to have given birth to live young, instead of laying eggs like the modern land-bound reptiles. Essentially, according to ThoughtCo, the specimens of some ichthyosaurs, like Temnodontosaurus, were fossilized in the "act of giving birth." Lastly, for all their characteristics similar to fish, ichthyosaurs had lungs, not gills, and therefore needed to surface regularly for gulps of air.

It is easy to imagine the school of the so-called Excalibosaurus playing on top of the Jurassic waves, probably sparring with one another with their snouts akin to swordfish, an adaptation progressed by some ichthyosaurs to spike any unlucky fish in their path.

Related information about the ichthyosaurs is shown on National Geographic's YouTube video below: