A 200 MILLION YEAR OLD REPTILE WAS FOUND IN
CEHEGIN
The fossils of a reptile were found In a wall
near “El Puente Santo” of Cehegín in 2017. The animal was classified as a 30 centimetre
marine reptile. It is more than 200
million years old (230-250 million years ago) (Triasic- Munschescal). The
fossils can be visited in the archaeological museum of Cehegín
The rocks are limestone. These rocks were
generated by sediments deposited in a marine platform. The fossils consist of vertebrae
and ribs - which are clearly seen in the rock.
Scientists say
that the species could be a Nothosuarus. Nothosaurus was a semi-oceanic animal which
probably had similar behaviour to that of today's seals. It was about 3 metres
long, with long webbed toes and possibly a fin on it’s tail. The hind limbs were stronger than the
front limbs. To fish, the Nothosaurus used to stand on the rocks and when it
saw a fish, it would jump at great speed and catch it with its teeth, but then
it had to go ashore to recover and eat.
Nothosaurus taxonomy |
kingdom: | Animalia
|
phylum: | Chordata
|
class: | Reptilia
|
superorder: | †Sauropterygia
|
order: | †Nothosauroidea |
family: | †Nothosauria |
Genus: | †Nothosaurus |