Ichthyosaurs are sea lizards, similar in appearance to dolphins, but more closely related to reptiles.
The ichthyosaurs lived about 180 million years ago in the Jurassic period, and recently the remains of one of them from the genus Stenopterygius were recovered from the Holzmaden quarry in Germany and carefully studied.
And to their surprise, scientists found traces of skin and even fat among the fossilized bones, which led to their great discovery. Ichthyosaurs were probably warm-blooded like modern dolphins and whales.
The ichthyosaurs of the genus Stenopterygius were relatively small in size, about 2-3 meters in length, and therefore these remains were preserved almost entirely "from nose to tail."
It is almost impossible to find traces of flesh in a skeleton of multimillion years ago, however, traces of flesh were found in the remains of a Germanic ichthyosaur when studied at the cellular level. And even to determine that the layer of fat under the skin was quite thick.
According to BBC News, it was also possible to determine that the skin of ichthyosaurs was smooth, like that of the same whales or dolphins, and not covered with scales like that of lizards. And even managed to determine what color it was. Dark on top, and light on the belly.
Schweitzer and her colleague Johan Lindgren of Lund University in Sweden studied the remains of a German dinosaur and published the final report of this study in the journal Nature.
Most of the reptiles living on the planet today are cold-blooded, that is, their body temperature is determined by the warmth of their environment. Subcutaneous fat helps some marine animals maintain a high body temperature regardless of the ocean water temperature.
The remains of this ichthyosaur are so well preserved that it was possible to determine not only the contours of the body, but also the contours of some internal organs, especially the liver.
To test this theory. the researchers managed to get some subcutaneous fat from dolphins and they subjected it to a number of tests, including under high pressure and high temperatures. As if he was fossilized (petrified).
The resulting material was generally similar to the fat traces of which were found in the remains of an ichthyosaur.
