Question: Recently the skeleton of Jurassic period’s marine reptile was discovered in India. Consider the facts related to it-
(i) For the first time in India, the fossil of ‘ichthyosaurus’, the marine reptile of the Jurassic period, was found.
(ii) It was found in the Kutch area of Gujarat.
(iii) This is done by researchers of Delhi University and Cambridge University.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) i, and iii
(b) ii, and iii
(c) i and ii
(d) i, ii, and iii
Answer- (c)
Related Facts:
- According to a study published On October 25, 2017, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Guntupalli Prasad from the University of Delhi, the first Jurassic ichthyosaur found in India.
- Skeleton of Ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur was found at a site south of Lodai village, situated 30 km northeast of Bhuj town, the headquarters of Ka-chchh District in Gujarat.
- It was jointly researched by the University of Delhi and Erlangen-Nuremberg University, Germany.
- Earlier, a fossil bone from the animal’s skeleton was first found by an Indo-German research team in Kutch in 2016.
- Skeleton, nearly 5.5m long, is thought to belong to the Ophthalmosauridae family, which likely lived between around 165 and 90 million years ago.
- Discovery is also evidence of being biological connection of India with other continents in Jurassic period.
- Ichthyosaurs literally stand for ‘fish lizards’ in Greek.
Reference:
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0185851
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171025140501.htm
https://phys.org/news/2017-10-jurassic-ichthyosaur-fossil-india.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-41745976