The largest tooth of a giant fish lizard was found among the fossils of extinct reptiles
Extinct fish and reptiles. Photo courtesy of CNN
Paleontologists have found the fossil remains of giant marine reptiles that became extinct a long time ago, in an unexpected place. These fossils were found at high altitudes in the Swiss Alps, and among them is the largest tooth of a giant fish lizard.
The fossils belong to three ichthyosaurs, which may have been among the largest animals to have ever lived on Earth, according to a new study. The ancient creatures could reach 80 tons and 65 feet (20 meters) in length, rivaling modern sperm whales, CNN reported.
These "fish lizards" first appeared in the ocean about 250 million years ago, and are somewhat similar to dolphins with long bodies and small heads. They appeared after the Permian mass extinction that wiped out more than 95% of marine species. But 200 million years ago, the giant ichthyosaurs became extinct and only the smaller, more dolphin-like ones lived until 90 million years ago.
So how did these massive marine remains, including one taller than a bowling alley, end up at 9,186 feet (2,800 meters)?
About 200 million years ago, these rock strata were the floor of a vast lake. "We believe that large ichthyosaurs followed the schools of fish into the lake," study co-author Heinz Forer, curator emeritus at the University of Zurich Institute and Museum of Paleontology, said in a statement. . "The fossils may also be derived from strays that died there."
But the folding of the Alps, which began 95 million years ago when the African tectonic plate began pushing against the European tectonic plate, created piles of rock layers around 30 to 40 million years ago. The fossils were "tectonically deformed", crushed by tectonic plate movements that pushed them into a rock formation on top of a mountain.
The study's lead author, B. Martin Sander, a professor of vertebrate paleontology at the University of Bonn, Germany, said in a statement: "You have to be a kind of mountain goat to get into the related family... They have the annoying property of not occurring below about 8,000 feet (2,438.4 meters), well above the tree line." ".
Although these creatures once ruled the seas, fossils are rare. Which created a big mystery for paleontologists. But the remains of these ichthyosaurs have shed new light on these mysterious, extinct creatures.
The fossils belong to three different species of ichthyosaurs. One was about 65 feet (20 meters) long while the other was 49 feet (15 meters). But the most exciting discovery associated with these fossils is the largest ichthyosaur tooth ever found.
Source: websites