Soft tissue shows Jurassic ichthyosaur was warm-blooded, had blubber and camouflage
Wednesday, December 5, 2018 - 13:10
in Paleontology & Archaeology
An ancient, dolphin-like marine reptile resembles its distant relative in more than appearance, according to an international team of researchers that includes scientists from North Carolina State University and Sweden's Lund University. Molecular and microstructural analysis of a Stenopterygius ichthyosaur from the Jurassic (180 million years ago) reveals that these animals were most likely warm-blooded, had insulating blubber and used their coloration as camouflage from predators.