"A skeleton discovered on Dorset's Jurassic coast has been identified as a new species of prehistoric marine reptile that once ruled the oceans. The dolphin-sized ichthyosaur, called Xiphodracon goldencapensis or the Sword Dragon of Dorset, is the only known example of its kind in existence. Thousands of ichthyosaur fossils have been found along the Jurassic Coast, but scientists say this particular fossil helps to fill an evolutionary gap."
"Ichthyosaur experts Dr Dean Lomax and Professor Judy Massare with the 185m year old skeleton (The University of Manchester) The skeleton includes a skull with enormous eye sockets and a long, sword-like snout. It is thought the marine reptile was about three metres long and would have eaten fish and squid, with the remains even showing traces of its last meal."
The Independent covers US issues like reproductive rights, climate change and Big Tech while funding reporters through reader donations and forgoing paywalls. A skeleton found on Dorset's Jurassic Coast has been identified as a new dolphin-sized ichthyosaur species named Xiphodracon goldencapensis, the Sword Dragon of Dorset. The specimen is the only known example of its kind and helps fill an evolutionary gap among Jurassic Coast ichthyosaur fossils. Found at Golden Cap in 2001 and later acquired by a Canadian museum, the skeleton includes a skull with enormous eye sockets and a long, sword-like snout.
Read at www.independent.co.uk
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