90-Million-Year-Old Dolphin-Like Reptile Fossil Discovered In Texas

Scientists who were hiking in South Texas in the United States discovered almost a complete fossil that seems to be a dolphin-like reptile. This could be a creature that swam in ancient oceans dated back 90 million years ago. The team found the fossils embedded in the Eagle Ford limestone.

Josh Lively, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Texas at Austin, said that very rarely do they get complete skeletons out of the Eagle Ford. He further said that whenever one has an associated skeleton like this, when one has multiple parts of the animals, it is truly an important find.

Geologist in Texas may have found 90 million-year-old fossil. https://t.co/FMtfUB2zeG

— Talk Radio 1210 WPHT (@TalkRadio1210) January 4, 2017

The fossils belong to an Ichthyosaur, which was a mix of a mammal and a reptile that was about 6 feet long. It had a fast-moving body of a dolphin and the toothy jaws of a dinosaur, according to India Today.

The researchers found the fossils on a private land near the border town of Del Rio. The team was then examining the Eagle Ford formation, which is one of the most productive shale oil basins in Texas.

James Harcourt, a petroleum geologist from Texas Railroad Commission and one who discovered the fossils two years ago, spotted a row of bones imprinted on the rock. They cleared the surface dirt and discovered that the limestone held a big skull, long spine and ribs. The discovery two years ago was unnoticed until a photo of the fossils appeared on the cover of the commission's 2016 annual report.

Ichthyosaurs in Greek means "fish lizard." They were large marine reptiles and they belong to the family of Ichthyosauria. These creatures thrived during the Mesozoic era. They also became abundant in the later Triassic and early Jurassic Period. On the other hand, in the late Cretaceous Period, they became extinct for unknown reasons.