Ichthyosaurus were marine reptiles with a dolphin like appearance which lived in the oceans of the Mesozoic Era (251 million to 65.5 million years ago ) & had eyes the size of a football, fossil evidences show it gave birth to live young.
In India fossils of these marine reptiles are found in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
Karai Badlands are one of the most fossil rich localities in south India, the area is barren and heavily eroded by intense rainfall and supports little vegetation.
In the past higher sea levels created a shallow sea here which began to expand into an Ocean as India, Australia and Antarctica began separating 137–132 million years ago, after the break-up of super-continent Pangea
Location — 12° 56′ 15.64″ N, 79° 18′ 58.82″ E. (Perambalur, Tamil Nadu, India)
The Geological Survey of India has identified this area as a potential National Geological Monument.
The Karai Badlands yield abundant fossils of brachiopods, belemnites, bryozoans, corals, algae, bivalves, cephalopods, gastropods, foraminifers, calcareous sponges, sharks & marine reptiles.
a: Oyster shells inside the body chamber of an Ammonite
b: Debris of Pycnodonte vesiculosa
c: Rhynchostreon shells
d: Pycnodonte vesicularis
Some well known finds from this area are listed below -
➢ In 1989, Palaeontologists of GSI found fragmentary remains of the pelvis, vertebrae and the 2-metre-long shin bone of a giant Sauropod (Titanosaur) in Tiruchirapalli district & named it Bruhathkayosaurus, estimates put it at 34 metres long, 85 to 139 tonnes in weight
➢ In 2011,conical teeth of Ichthyosaurus were found, later a Vertebra of an Ichthyosaurus was discovered in 2015 by students
➢ In 2013, tooth of a small crocodile (Simosuchus) were found, it was the size of a Dog & ate shoots, leaves & insects
Listen to podcasts on this topic -
How India's fossil treasures are turning to dust (Nature India Podcast)
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