Paleontologists have discovered one of the earliest mosasaurs. Reported by the University of North Florida.
Mosasaurs are an extinct family of marine lizards that are contemporary with dinosaurs but related to monitor lizards. Their bodies are adapted for swimming, and almost all members of the family are large predators.
Fossil discovered at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in southern Utah reaches 94 million years old. First discovered in 2012, the fossilized bones were represented by small fragments of skull and vertebrae scattered along a wide slope. Paleontologists note that this is one of the oldest mosasaurs – these animals have already adapted to an aquatic lifestyle, but, unlike later descendants, reached a size of about one meter. A new taxon of these reptiles has been described for this individual – Sarabosaurus inclusion gene.
“Sarabosaurus sheds light on longstanding questions regarding the relationship of some early mosasaur species, and also provides new insights into the evolution of a new type of cranial blood supply observed in a particular mosasaur group,” the scientists say.
Earlier to create An ancient Roman amphora with poems by the ancient poet Virgil was found in Cordoba.