Press Release – Canterbury Museum
Ichthyosaurs were marine reptiles that looked like dolphins. They mostly went extinct about 100 million years ago. Dr. Paul Scofield from Canterbury Museum and George Young, a master’s graduate from the University of Canterbury, studied a fossil for three years.
This fossil, found in North Canterbury, is 4 meters long. Their work was published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
They found that a special ichthyosaur lived in New Zealand for 5 million years after others had died out. This ichthyosaur is the best-preserved one found in New Zealand.
Using special scanners, Paul and George looked inside the fossil. They discovered it was evolving into something like a whale.
The fossil was found by Professor James Crampton near the Clarence River in 2010. It is not complete, so it cannot get a name yet.
Paul thinks more discoveries could be made in this area because it is not well explored.
Ichthyosaurs first appeared around 250 million years ago and lived until about 95 million years ago.
Vocabulary List:
- Ichthyosaurs /ɪkθiəˌsɔrz/ (noun): Marine reptiles that resembled dolphins known for living in prehistoric oceans.
- Fossil /ˈfɑsl/ (noun): The preserved remains or traces of a once-living organism typically found in sedimentary rock.
- Preserved /prɪˈzɜrvd/ (adjective): Maintained in their original condition; kept intact from decay or destruction.
- Evolving /ɪˈvɑlvɪŋ/ (verb): Developing gradually especially from a simple to a more complex form.
- Discovered /dɪˈskʌvərd/ (verb): Found out or revealed something that was previously unknown.
- Explored /ɪkˈsplɔrd/ (verb): Investigated or traveled through (a place) in order to learn about it.
How much do you know?
Which institution was Dr. Paul Scofield from?
Where was the fossil studied by Dr. Paul Scofield and George Young found?
In which journal was the work of Dr. Paul Scofield and George Young published?
Where was the ichthyosaur fossil found in New Zealand?
How long did the special ichthyosaur live in New Zealand after others had died out?
What did Dr. Paul Scofield and George Young discover the fossil was evolving into?
Ichthyosaurs went extinct about 100 million years ago.
The fossil found by Dr. Paul Scofield and George Young is complete.
Dr. Paul Scofield and George Young studied the fossil for one year.
Ichthyosaurs first appeared around 250 million years ago.
Dr. Paul Scofield is a graduate from the University of Canterbury.
The fossil was found by Professor James Crampton near the Waitaki River in 2010.
The ichthyosaur fossil found by Professor James Crampton was meters long.
The special ichthyosaur lived in New Zealand for million years after others had died out.
Ichthyosaurs lived until about million years ago.
Dr. Paul Scofield and George Young studied the fossil for years.
Dr. Paul Scofield found that the ichthyosaur was evolving into something like a .
More discoveries could be made in the area where the fossil was found because it is not well . (explored/discovered/surveyed/researched)
