#fossiladventcalendar — Public Fediverse posts

#FossilAdventCalendar Day 17

This #whale-sized #marine #reptile in the #RoyalTyrrellMuseum is the #ichthyosaur Shastasaurus sikkaniensis. Unusually, it was not only one of the earliest members of its group, but one of the very largest. Its #species name comes from where it was found, along the Sikanni Chief River which flows out of the #RockyMountains of #BritishColumbia 🇨🇦. Its #genus name comes from Mt. #Shasta in the #CascadeRange, where other species of this Triassic titan have been found.

#FossilAdventCalendar Day 5
#MarineLifeMonday

Most #fish species alive today, from #salmon to #guppies, belong to a single group. In the #Devonian, though, many lineages were abundant. #Quebec's 🇨🇦 #ParcNationalDeMiguasha provides a glimpse of this #biodiversity, which includes #lungfish such as Scaumenacia curta, shown here in the #RoyalOntarioMuseum. Their lobed fins contain many of the same #bones as our arms, evidence that lungfish are much more closely related to us than to most other fish.