Scientists from Vanderbilt University have suggested that the Nevada ichthyosaur mass grave is where ancient sea lizards sailed to give birth. The research was published in the journal current biology.
Giant ichthyosaurs, whose name can be translated as “fish lizard,” were aquatic predators with large fins and long jaws filled with teeth. In the 1950s, a site with dozens of ichthyosaur remains was discovered in Nevada (there was a seabed there). Scientists have long been trying to understand how all these creatures could die together.
In the new study, biologists used 3D scanning to create a detailed digital model. Among the huge adult fossils, the researchers noticed several small bones and realized that they belonged to embryos and newborns. Scientists have suggested that ichthyosaurs came here in groups to protect each other at birth – that’s what modern sea giants do.
They identified at least 37 ichthyosaur fossils. Their age is estimated to be 230 million years. As the scientists detected, the bones were in different rock layers. This suggests that the creatures may have died not all at once, but hundreds of thousands of years apart. While the scientists’ theory needs confirmation, it’s likely that the fossils belonged to mothers and cubs who died there over the years.
Analysis of the rock samples showed no signs of volcanic eruptions or significant changes in the environment, so the scientists ruled out the possibility of some type of environmental catastrophe. Additionally, the animals probably didn’t die during the coastal mass washing, as the sites where their remains were found are located far from the coast.