Paleontologists from the US and the UK have presented the world community with two new, previously unknown, species of ichthyosaurs.
as a result, scientists have attributed the skeletons of two new species belonging to the lower Jurassic period, earlier considered as already known species of ichthyosaur, with many variations.
So now there are six types of chordate animalsIchthyosauria - “sea dragons” that reigned in the oceans of the Jurassic period.
the Fossils were found in Somerset County in the nineteenth century.
the Remains of one individual for decades, was exhibited in the University of Bristol, this time by exhibit held tens of thousands of students.
Other fossils have been donated to the Museum by the collector Thomas Hawkins from the American Philadelphia. He managed to gather a huge collection of marine reptiles whose remains have been found in Somerset in the first half of the nineteenth century.
In Victorian times, the universal obsession with looking skeletons of ichthyosaurs (first was found by Mary Anning on the coast of Dorset) was so great that now their remains can be found in museums and private collections around the world.
Paleontologists Dean Lomax of the University of Manchester and Judy massart College of BROCKPORT in new York, examined hundreds of fossils of ichthyosaurs found in Europe and North America, including those that were hidden from the public eye for decades.
“two new species not previously known to science,” said Dean Lomax in interview Bi-bi-si.
“They say that during the early Jurassic period — about 200 million years ago — ichthyosaurs were much more diverse order than previously thought,” added Lomax.
Ichthyosaur, shaped like dolphins, were ferocious predators and grew up to 15 meters in length.
the Remains of one of the two new species of ichthyosaur over 30 years were kept in the University of Bristol.
other Fossils found in the quarry near Glastonbury, was presented at the Philadelphia Academy of natural Sciences in 1847. They were stored in the warehouse of the Academy, and their existence was known only to a few people.
Both of the skeleton was first found by the British paleontologists, when the theory of evolution and Foundation of modern Geology was still in its infancy.
the Separate types of skeletons have been recognized on the basis of significant differences in the structure of the skull and other bones.
“It was amazing, when Judy massart examined the remains and found that almost the whole skeleton. In my opinion, is the best example of a kind of ichthyosaur ever found and studied,” said Dean Lomax.
Studied in Philadelphia species was named Ichthyosaurus somersetensis(ichthyosaur Somerset) — in honor of the County in whose territory it was found so many fossils of these reptiles.
Bristol ichthyosaur called Ichthyosaurus larkini (ichthyosaur lecinski) — on behalf of the British palaeontologist Nigel Larkin, whose family lived in the area of Bristol for centuries.
No comments:
Post a Comment