Large Ocean Fossil Discovered in Nevada

An 8-foot long skull Discovered in the Augusta Mountains of Nevada is the most significant fossil ever found from its time. The research team believes that the remarkable Discovered could explain how modern whales developed and preserved their presence in our oceans.

The fossil Discovered species of ichthyosaur, a type of sizeable aquatic reptile, dates to about 246 million years ago. The newly-named cymbospondylus younger is, according to the research team, the largest animal found from that period, both in the sea and on land. It currently holds the first giant animal ever to inhabit Earth.

The skull was extracted and part of the creature’s backbone, shoulder, and forefin. At more than 55 feet long, the ichthyosaur was estimated to be the size of a giant sperm whale, according to the study released Thursday by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County.

Paleontologists believe the ichthyosaurs grew exponentially within several million years and that their growth was due in part to a massive increase in their prey, which included ammonoids and eel-like conodonts. These species’ populations boomed after a mass extinction called the end-Permian Extinction.