Motorboat-sized Water Reptile Identified From Prehistoric Fossils
- 9 years ago
Paleontologists identified a new prehistoric water reptile the size of a motorboat from fossils found near Scotland 55 years ago.
Sharks are not the biggest and baddest animals to have ever lived in the earth’s waters.
A new massive, water-dwelling reptile was identified from a small number of prehistoric bones found around Scotland’s Isle of Skye.
The fossilized pieces were found about 55 years ago by amateur digger Brian Shawcross but had not been examined and classified since then due to limited resources.
The animal has been named Dearcmhara shawcrossi, the first word meaning “lizard” in Skye’s Gaelic language and the second after its finder.
Scientists estimate that the creature was the size of a 14-foot long motorboat and dominated the food chain.
But don’t call them dinosaurs.
They are actually ichthyosaurs which are the sea-based behemoths that lived during the same time as their land-based counterparts.
This is according to Dr. Stephen Brusatte, paleontologist at the
Sharks are not the biggest and baddest animals to have ever lived in the earth’s waters.
A new massive, water-dwelling reptile was identified from a small number of prehistoric bones found around Scotland’s Isle of Skye.
The fossilized pieces were found about 55 years ago by amateur digger Brian Shawcross but had not been examined and classified since then due to limited resources.
The animal has been named Dearcmhara shawcrossi, the first word meaning “lizard” in Skye’s Gaelic language and the second after its finder.
Scientists estimate that the creature was the size of a 14-foot long motorboat and dominated the food chain.
But don’t call them dinosaurs.
They are actually ichthyosaurs which are the sea-based behemoths that lived during the same time as their land-based counterparts.
This is according to Dr. Stephen Brusatte, paleontologist at the