Evolutionary gap closed

University of California, Davis researchers say they have found a “dolphin-like” amphibious ichthyosaur in China.

“The fossil represents a missing stage in the evolution of ichthyosaurs, marine reptiles from the age of dinosaurs about 250 million years ago,” said a campus statement. “Until now, there were no fossils marking their transition from land to sea.”

“But now we have this fossil showing the transition,” said Davis scientist Ryosuke Motani.

The ichthyosaur is the official Nevada “state fossil,” and there is a state park in central Nevada where such fossils were located—plus a popular local beer named for the beast.