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‘Fish-lizard’ fossil from Kutch is a Jurassic first:
Context:
- A Jurassic-era fossil of an animal that looks like an amalgamation of dolphin and lizard has been discovered in Kutch, Gujarat.
What was the discovery?
- This is the first time an ichthyosaur fossil has been discovered in India.
- The 5.5 metre-long skeleton is thought to belong to the Ophthalmosauridae family, which likely lived between 165 and 90 million years ago.
- The way the creature’s teeth were worn out suggest it ate animals with thick and bony coverings
How is the discovery important?
- This is a remarkable discovery because it is the first Jurassic ichthyosaur record from India.
- It also throws light on the evolution and diversity of ichthyosaurs in the Indo-Madagascan region and India’s biological connectivity with other continents in the Jurassic.
- The identification of the new specimen may further throw light on whether there was any marine connection between India and South America about 150 million years ago.
What is Ichthyosaur?
- Ichthyosaur first appeared in the early Triassic period (251 million to 199 million years ago).
- The name means fish-lizard, although the creature has been classified as a reptile since the mid-19th Century.
- Its length ranged from 1m to 14m – although the average length was 2m to 3m.
- The creature was noted for its sharp, robust teeth.
Ichthyosaurs became extinct around 90 million years ago.