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First Water Dinosaur Fossil in India. PHOTOS/ IFL SCIENCE
NEW DELHI – Scientists from India have made a breakthrough from an ichthyosaur fossil in Gujarat, India.
Launching from Indiatimes, this complete fossil find is the first time that an extinct creature has been found in this country.
Ichthyosaurus in Greek is a marine reptile fish lizard that lived between 157 to 152 million years ago.
The fossil was found in rock dating from the Mesozoic Era, in the Kutch desert, making it the first Jurassic sea monster to be discovered in the region.
Prof Guntupalli VR Prasad, who led the expedition, said the 5.5m specimen was nearly perfect, with only part of the skull and tail bones missing.
“This is a remarkable discovery not only because it is the first record of Jurassic ichthyosaurs from India, but also sheds light on the evolution and diversity of ichthyosaurs in the Indo-Madagascar region and India’s biological connectivity with other continents in the Jurassic,” Prasad told the BBC.
The team, consisting of scientists from India and Germany, discovered the fossils south of the village of Lodai in Gujarat last year.
(wbs)
