Pyritized Ichthyosaur vertebrae (Upper Jurassic?) Dr. B. Phillips Coll.

Item Description

A very sharp, very well preserved large vertebrae from a large Ichthyosaur, a marine reptile that lived during the Mesozoic Era (252-66 MYA). The vertebrae, from the Volga River area of Northern Russia is heavily pyritized and has concave sides, adding color and character. You can even see the hole for the spinal chord canal in the center of both sides of the disk. Ichthyosaurs were the largest marine reptiles, up to 85 feet long! It is thought to be Upper Jurassic in age (163-145 MYA), according to the attached article reference: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274457041_On_the_Upper_Jurassic_ichthyosaur_remains_from_the_Russian_North. An exceptional marine dinosaur fossil from the Dr. Barratt Phillips Collection.