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A mysterious new little marine reptile from 150 million years ago, known as the Thalassodraco etchesi or Etches sea dragon, was recently discovered in a deep Late Jurassic marine deposit along the coast of the English Channel in Dorset, England.
As reported by SciTech Daily, this species may have been capable of diving to extreme depths and was determined to be part of the group known as the ichthyosaurs, which are “streamlined marine predators of the late Jurassic period.”
“This ichthyosaur has several differences that make it unique enough to be of its own genus and species,” said paleontologist Megan L. Jacobs. New ichthyosaurs from the Late Jurassic in the UK are extremely rare, as these creatures have been studied for 200 years. We knew it was new almost instantly, but it took us about a year to make exhaustive comparisons to all other late Jurassic ichthyosaurs to make sure our instincts were correct. It was very exciting not being able to find a partner. “
Illustration of Thalassodraco etchesi. Credit: Megan JacobsThis specific specimen was discovered in 2009 and was estimated to be around 6 feet long. It was discovered by fossil collector Steve Etches MBE after a “cliff collapsed along the shoreline.”
It appears to have some similarities to sperm whales with its “extremely deep rib cage” which may have allowed for larger lungs and space so internal organs did not crush under pressure. He also had large eyes, which meant he could see well in low light.
Its hundreds of tiny teeth seem to indicate a diet that may have consisted of squid and small fish, and “the teeth are unique in being completely smooth.”
Photo of the sea dragon fossil (Thalassodraco etchings) (MJML K1885). Credit: The Etches Collection, Dorset, UK“They still had to breathe air on the surface and they had no scales,” Jacobs said. “Very little is known about the biology of these animals. We can only make assumptions from the fossils we have, but today there is nothing like it. Eventually, to adapt to being fully aquatic, they could no longer go up to land to lay eggs, so they evolved to have live young, tail first. Skeletons have been found with babies inside the mother and also some that were actually being born. “
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
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