Chinese Scientists Discover Fossils of a Previously Unidentified Prehistoric Fish Lizard Species in Guangxi Autonomous Region
According to research published in the journal PeerJ, the creature named Baisesaurus robustus lived between 247.2 and 251.9 million years ago. Measuring over 3 meters in length, it is the largest fish lizard (Ichthyosauria) ever discovered in China from the Early Triassic period.
The lead author of the study, Han Fenglu, an associate professor at the School of Earth Sciences at China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, emphasized that this new discovery has expanded the distribution range of fish lizards in China, indicating that this group of ancient marine reptiles was more widespread than previously assumed.
Simulation of the newly discovered Baisesaurus robustus in China. (Photo: China Daily)
The Guizhou Geological Survey Institute discovered the fossils of Baisesaurus robustus in limestone in the Zhebao region of Guangxi Autonomous Region and invited paleontologists from the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Alberta in Canada and the Wuhan Geological Survey Center to participate in the analysis of the specimens.
At the Wuhan Geological Survey Center, the research team took over three months to recover the fossils and noted that they had relatively slender ribs that did not thicken at the points where they connect to the body. Additionally, the ribs below featured long and slender protrusions in the middle. These are characteristics unique to fish lizards.
The excellent preservation of the individual bone parts indicates that the fossil was buried in situ, although water flow may have disturbed the skeleton after the muscles and soft connective tissues decomposed.
“Compared to other ichthyosaurs, Baisesaurus has long and robust forelimbs. This suggests the creature had a more powerful swimming capability and likely traveled longer distances during migrations in the ancient Tethys Ocean. They may have been apex predators during that time,” Han stated.
Ichthyosaurs lived during the Triassic and Jurassic periods, alongside dinosaurs, and went extinct around 90 million years ago. They had streamlined bodies resembling fish, large eyes, and a prominent tail fin. Scientists suspect that they evolved from land reptiles, but their origins and early evolutionary processes remain a mystery.
Previously discovered fish lizard species in China, found in Hubei and Anhui provinces, also date back to the Early Triassic, but most were under 1.5 meters long with limited long-distance swimming capabilities.
