Oldest Ichthyosaur Known to Science Discovered on Remote Arctic Island

Bones found on the remote Arctic Island of Spitsbergen suggest the ancient marine reptiles known as ichthyosaurs roamed Earth's oceans for much longer than we thought.

Dated to 250 million years ago, the remains represent the oldest evidence of ichthyosaurs we've ever seen. Moreover, the species represented by the bones was already large and well-adapted to marine life – at a time before the ichthyosaur form was thought to have emerged into the world.

This suggests that our timeline for ichthyosaurs might need to be reconsidered. They may have appeared prior to the End-Permian Mass Extinction that took place 251.9 million years ago, rather than evolving as a result of the event as has been suggested.

Oldest Ichthyosaur Known to Science Discovered on Remote Arctic Island