Fossil - Keichousaurus

Fossil - Keichousaurus

Triassic period, ca. 252–201 million years ago, Guizhou, China.

The clearly distinguished, very small Keichousaurus fossil is protected by a thin layer of shellac. Keichousaurus is a species of aquatic lizard belonging to the pachypleurosaur family that became extinct at the end of the Triassic period, shortly before the Triassic mass extinction. The name of the lizard dates back to Guizhou Province (formerly Kweichow), China, where the first fossil of the species was discovered in 1958. Keichousaurus, like other lizards belonging to the aquatic reptile group (sauropterygia) (including plesiosaurs), were very good swimmers. The small Keichousaurus, only about 12cm - 16cm long, had a thin, long neck, a small, angular head and sharp teeth. The species' diet consisted of small fish and other aquatic animals. The size of the sediment is about 70mm x 50mm x 6mm. The fossil is about 38mm x 7mm.

The Triassic period was a geological period approximately 252–201 million years ago in the Mesozoic Era. The period was preceded by the largest mass extinction in the history of life, from which the surviving species evolved and spread. During the Triassic, the Earth had one giant continent, Pangaea, with a dry climate over large areas. The fauna of the period was characterized by the rapid development of reptiles, especially on land. Amphibians were also common. Of the new and old reptile groups, the old ones were represented by archosaurs. The first small land mammals evolved from synapsids at the end of the Triassic. The first dinosaurs appeared 240–230 million years ago in the Triassic. Ichthyosaurs and nothosaurs lived in the seas. The first pterosaurs also appeared.

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Ritual use