Natural History - British Polished Ichthyosaur Vertebrae Display
Jurassic Period, circa 180 million years B.P. A polished fossil Ichthyosaur sp. vertebrae section in a jet matrix, partially pyritised; Upper Lias. 236 grams, 16.5 cm (6 1/2 in.). From Sandsend, Whitby, North Yorkshire, UK.Property of a Leicestershire, UK, private collector. Ichthyosaurs (Greek for fish lizard - ichthus meaning fish and sauros meaning lizard) were giant marine reptiles that resembled dolphins, in a textbook example of parallel evolution. They thrived during much of the Mesozoic era; based on fossil evidence, they first appeared approximately 245 million years ago and disappeared about 90 million years ago, about 25 million years before the dinosaurs became extinct. [No Reserve]