This is what the prehistoric marine reptile must have looked like – according to the latest scientific insights.

They must have been found in the Earth’s oceans for about 160 million years in a row: the ichthyosaurs. The marine reptiles were several meters long and excellent swimmers who could also dive deep. Researchers have already found many fossil remains of ichthyosaurs in Europe (including in Belgium, Germany and France), but also abroad (even on Spitsbergen).

Enigmatic appearance

But what those ichthyosaurs would have looked like alive remained quite puzzling. This is mainly because until recently mainly bones and teeth, but only rarely soft tissues – such as skin, muscles, fat and pigments – were found. It left quite a bit of room for speculation and over the past centuries very different artistic impressions of the ichthyosaur have been reviewed. Sometimes the marine reptile was depicted as a kind of swimming dinosaur. On other plates, the marine reptile was drawn more like a dolphin or crocodile-like animal.

New possibilities

Recently, however, some more soft tissues of ichthyosaurs have also been recovered. And that offers new possibilities, according to a study published in the magazine Earth Science Reviews† The authors of the study pooled all the information gathered about the ichthyosaurs over the past 300 years and then engaged an artist to create a lifelike reconstruction of the marine reptile based on that information.

“Our reconstruction is the most scientifically modern – and hopefully correct – interpretation of the appearance of these animals,” said Professor Mats Eriksson. “(The reconstruction, ed.) is very valuable for students and researchers who want to learn more about the iconic fish lizard.”

German Ichthyosaurus

In addition to all that general knowledge about ichthyosaurs, the reconstruction relies particularly heavily on an ichthyosaur discovered in Germany and belonging to the genus Stenopterygius belongs. “This fossil has been studied extensively before to learn more about the biology and color of fish lizards,” said researcher Johan Lindgren.

Image: Earth-Science Reviews / https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.103965.

Injury

To the reconstruction of the Stenopterygius worked for a year. In addition to clay sculptures, 3D models were also used to create the reconstruction. The result is impressive: the reconstructed ichthyosaur is 1.6 meters long and appears lifelike. What stands out, of course, is the injury to the right side of the ichthyosaur. A conscious choice, the researchers explain in their study. Because this also makes the internal tissue layers as described in recent research visible.

“Our reconstruction of Stenopterygius is currently the most up-to-date representation of what ichthyosaurs may have looked like alive and is based on empirical evidence,” the scientists concluded. How long the reconstruction will remain up to date remains to be seen, of course, but the researchers do not expect that the appearance will have to be revised on a large scale on the basis of new finds. But that in future research new details will emerge that require that Stenopterygius They need to be fine-tuned here and there, they are almost certain of that.