Fossil of Triassic-era marine reptile found

Chinese scientists reported earlier this month the discovery of a complete fossil skeleton of a new species of marine reptile in Yunnan province that roamed the ancient sea about 244 million years ago during the Triassic period.

The prehistoric creature was named Honghesaurus longicaudalis, and it possessed the longest tail of any known pachypleurosaurs. It is also China’s oldest fossil record of this family of reptiles.

Pachypleurosaurs are a group of small to medium-sized lizard-like marine reptiles from the early to middle Triassic. The fossil is 47.1 centimeters long, and its tail spans more than half of its body length at 25.4 cm.

Remarkably, the tail of the discovered reptile contains 69 vertebrae, far more than any other known pachypleurosaur, which typically have no more than 58. Humans in comparison have just 33 vertebrae.