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Menacing Jaws
A jaw full of 5 - column inch , tongue - edge teeth get this newly unearth ichthyosaur , calledThalattoarchon saurophagis , buck into target its same size and declamatory , researchers say . The metal money swam in what is now Nevada some 244 million year ago .
Snagging a Snack
The giant ichthyosaur ruled the ocean some 244 million year ago . Here ’s what it may have looked like seizing a meaty snack .
Lizard-Eating Ruler
This is what the jaw ofThalattoarchon saurophagis(whose name means " lounge lizard - eat ruler of the sea " ) looked like when they were discovered by Field Museum preparator Jim Holstein on July 24 , 1998 . The photograph was take seven years afterwards in preparedness for mining .
Ichthyosaur Skull
The predator was a member of the ichthyosaur , marine reptiles that evolved from solid ground reptile just as modern whale did from land mammal and which cruise the ocean for 160 million years , going extinct about 90 million years ago . Here , the back of the skull and neck opening during the archeological site of the ichthyosaur skeleton in 2008 . The bones are encased in a large nodule , the pieces of which were total for after reassembly .
Steep Canyons
A view down Favret Canyon with University of Bonn preparator Olaf Dülfer . The new ichthyosaur came from the beds in the setting above the steep canyon walls .
Prey-Slicing Teeth
Tooth top ofThalattoarchonas seen in the field . The shape of the diadem with its two cutting edge indicates that this ichthyosaur was a nitty-gritty feeder , using its tteth to seize and slice target .
Plaster Jacket
Paleontologist Nadia Fröbisch preparing a plaster jacket for the fossil of the new ichthyosaur in the subject area in Nevada .
Upturned Eyeball
This is the right side of the skull during preparation in the Field Museum labs showing the upturned eyeball and the vast teeth in front of it .
