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India's first aquatic dinosaur fossil. PHOTO/ IFL SCIENCE
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According to Indiatimes, this complete fossil discovery is the first time an extinct creature has been found in this country.
Ichthyosaurus is Greek for fish lizard, a type of marine reptile that lived 157 to 152 million years ago.
The fossil was discovered in Mesozoic rocks in the Kutch Desert, making it the first Jurassic sea monster discovered in the region.
Prof. Guntupalli VR Prasad, who led the expedition, said the 5.5-metre-long specimen was almost perfect, with only parts of the skull and coccyx missing.
“This is a remarkable discovery, not only because it is the first record of Jurassic ichthyosaurs from India, but it also highlights the evolution and diversity of ichthyosaurs in the Indo-Madagascar region and the biological connection of India with other continents in the Jurassic,” Prasad told BBC
The team, consisting of scientists from India and Germany, discovered the fossils last year south of the village of Lodai in Gujarat.
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