Explained: What is Kyhytysuka sachicarum?

What is the News?

An international team of researchers has discovered a new marine reptile in Columbia. The reptile has been named as Kyhytysuka sachicarum.

Note: This reptile was named Kyhytysuka which translates to ‘the one that cuts with something sharp’ to honour the ancient Muisca culture in Columbia that existed there for millennia.

What is the significance of the discovery of the Kyhytysuka sachicarum reptile?

Kyhytysuka sachicarum reptile belongs to an important transitional time during the Early Cretaceous epoch, some 130 million years ago.

At this time, the Earth was coming out of a relatively cool period, had rising sea levels, and the supercontinent Pangea (supercontinent that incorporated almost all the landmasses on Earth) was splitting into northern and southern landmasses.

There was also a global extinction event at the end of the Jurassic that changed marine and terrestrial ecosystems.

Source: This post is based on the article “Explained: What is Kyhytysuka sachicarum? published by PIB on 4th December 2021.