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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.
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.
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Vocabulary List:
6 words · tap to reveal
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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.
