Found in Scotland a new giant marine reptile of the Jurassic era – The Times

Ed. Print DWELT ISLAND SKYE MAKES 170 MILLION YEARS

This reptile can provide valuable information on how evolved marine reptiles | intelgraph.com – Agency

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The mythical Loch Ness monster may lose his throne to a new species of marine reptile of the Jurassic era whose fossils were discovered in the Scottish island of Skye. At least, scientists know that this creature was real. It is a predator of the length of a motorboat, more than four meters from nose to tail, which inhabited the warm, shallow seas around Scotland today about 170 million years ago, announced a consortium of Researchers led by the University of Edinburgh.

The paleontologists explain that could discover the new species thanks to the generosity of a collector who donated the bones to a museum rather than save or sell, in which case they would never have known that this incredible animal existed. The team studied the fragments of skulls, teeth, vertebrae and an arm bone unearthed on the island over the past 50 years.

In this way, they identified several examples of extinct aquatic animals known as ichthyosaurs that lived during the early to middle Jurassic. Including new species, one of the “kings” of the top of the food chain, which devoured and other reptiles.

was “During the time of the dinosaurs, in Scottish waters prowled large reptiles the size of a motorboat. Its fossils are very rare, and only now, for the first time, have found a new species only Scottish “says Steve Brusatte, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh.

The new species was named in honor Dearcmhara shawcrossi Brian Shawcross, an enthusiastic amateur paleontology fossils recovered Creature Bearreraig Bay in 1959. “Dearcmhara” means marine lizard in Scottish Gaelic.

During the Jurassic period, much of the island Skye was under water. At that time, I was connected to the rest of the UK and was part of a large island between the land masses gradually distanced and became Europe and North America.

Skye is one of the Few places in the world where you can find fossils from the Middle Jurassic, so the team believes that their work can provide valuable information about marine reptiles evolved. Interestingly, other fossils indicate that Dearcmhara lived with members of another branch of marine reptiles called plesiosaurs, known for their long necks and wings as paddles. The elusive “Nessie” is commonly described with the appearance of a plesiosaur.

“This is not only a very special discovery, but also marks the beginning of an important new partnership involving some of the most eminent paleontologists of Scotland … are already working on new additional findings “said Nick Fraser, National Museums of Scotland.

The bones of Dearcmhara will be on public display at Edinburgh on January 18. The research was published in the journal Scottish Journal of Geology.

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