ugc_banner

Kyhytysuka: A pure carnivorous 'fish lizard' from 130 million years ago discovered

WION Web Team
NEW DELHIUpdated: Dec 02, 2021, 06:22 PM IST
main img
Ichthyosaurs (Ancient Greek for “fish lizard” – ichthys meaning “fish” and sauros meaning “lizard”) are large extinct marine reptiles. Photograph:(Twitter)

Story highlights

A new 130-million-year-old swordfish-shaped marine reptile fossil sheds light on the evolution of hypercarnivory of these last-surviving ichthyosaurs.

The 130-million-year-old hypercarnivore Kyhytysuka, often known as the "Fish Lizard," has been unearthed.

A remarkable 130-million-year-old swordfish-shaped marine reptile fossil reveals the emergence of hypercarnivory in these last-surviving ichthyosaurs.

A group of multinational researchers from Canada, Colombia, and Germany have unearthed a new prehistoric marine reptile.

The specimen is a brilliantly preserved meter-long skull from one of the few remaining ichthyosaurs — prehistoric beasts that look alarmingly like live swordfish. 

According to researchers, this new species reveals the entire picture of ichthyosaur evolution.

This species, according to experts, originates from a crucial transitional era in the Early Cretaceous.

The Earth had emerged from a comparatively cold phase, sea levels were increasing, and Pangea, the supercontinent, had been split into northern and southern territory.

There were additional worldwide extinction events near the end of the Jurassic, which altered marine and terrestrial ecosystems. 

(With inputs from agencies)