Ichthyosaur Skeleton (Mixosaurus sp.)

Description

A beautiful partial Ichthyosaur (Mixosaurus sp.) from the Luoping Biota, a world-class Lagerstätte that records the rapid recovery of marine ecosystems after the Great Permian Extinction. 

The specimen is all original and features the whole skull, complete with needle-like teeth along the jawline, several vertebrae, partial ribcage and a shoulder girdle and paddle. The matrix is thick (1.25 inch) and features some nice, natural calcite veins. The Ichthyosaur measures 18.25 inches in length.

Mixosaurus was a small, agile marine reptile from the Middle Triassic, representing a fascinating evolutionary bridge between early eel-like swimmers and the later, dolphin-shaped ichthyosaurs. Equipped with a long, slender jaw packed with needle-like teeth, it was a specialized, lightning-fast predator that darted through the water to hunt small fish and prehistoric squid. 

It thrived roughly 240 million years ago in the ancient Tethys Ocean—specifically in what is now Yunnan, China—which at the time was a warm, shallow, subtropical marine basin dotted with vibrant reefs and rich in marine biodiversity. The stagnant, oxygen-depleted conditions at the bottom of these ancient lagoons prevented scavengers from disturbing the carcass, allowing the complete skeleton to fossilise in such stunning detail.

Comes with two metal stands.

Size: 

Matrix slab - 19.5 x 10.5 inches

Ichthyosaur - 18.25 inches at longest length

Age: 244 million years

Locality: Luoping County, Yunnan Province, China (Guanling Formation)