Ichthyosaurs, or ichthyosaurs, are thought to be the ancestors of dolphins and whales. It belongs to the group of giant marine reptiles that lived in the same period as the dinosaurs.

These animals are aggressive, have rough skin, have large eyes, narrow jaws and sharp conical teeth. It is estimated that Ichthyosaurs lived about 150 million years ago.

Fossils were found in Gujarat, India. Photo: Independent

The remains of this 5.5-meter-long reptile were found on a sedimentary rock from the Mesozoic period.

After 1,500 hours, the specimen was unearthed in almost intact condition, only missing part of the skull, fins and tailbone.

“Volvertebrate fossils are rarely found in the Indian region. So, to find such an almost intact skeleton is really surprising,” – Guntupalli Prasad, author lead author of the study, said.

Ichthyosaurs are thought to be the ancestors of whales and dolphins. Photo: Shutterstock

The almost intact fossil skeleton of Ichthyosaurs has just been found in India. Photo :ScienceDaily

In a statement, the team hopes that this fossil skeleton will help paleontologists understand more about the process of development and replication around the world.

In addition, the appearance of Ichthyosaurs here suggests that about 150 million years ago, there was an association between India and South America, where many fossil bones of this group have been found before.