Fossil of Pregnant Ichthyosaur Discovered in Chile

Fossil of Pregnant Ichthyosaur Discovered in Chile
The ichthyosaur fossil mark on a rock at the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile on March 30, 2022. (TVN via AP/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)
The Associated Press
5/16/2022
Updated:
5/16/2022

The University of Magallanes announced on May 10 the discovery of the complete fossil of a pregnant ichthyosaur in Chile’s Patagonian glacier.

The paleontologist who led the team said it was the only known fossil of a pregnant ichthyosaur from the Early Cretaceous period, between 129 and 139 million years ago

The four-meter-long fossil was found in the Tyndall Glacier, located in the Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile.

According to the university, the fossil was discovered by Judith Pardo-Pérez in 2009 on the last day of an expedition funded by the German government.

The female marine reptile has been nicknamed “Fiona.”