2019-04-26 11:29:50
A few years ago we talked here about Cartorhynchus, a close relative of the ichthyosaurs, and we said that its discovery had shed light on the hitherto unknown location of these marine reptiles on the evolutionary tree. As far as we now know, the closest relatives of ichthyosaurs are the hupehsuchians, a group of aquatic reptiles that lived in the early Triassic, about 250 million years ago. It was a short-lived group, thriving in Triassic seas for only a few million years. Hupehsuchians take their name from the Chinese province of Hubei, where they have all been found. Hupehsuchians had a completely aquatic life; their anatomy makes it impossible for them to move on land. Therefore, like ichthyosaurs, they must be viviparous, giving birth to their young in the water.
#Hupehsuchians #armored #ichthyosaurs