Fossil of the ichthyosaur, Platypterygius australis.
Image: Jon Augier
Source: Museum Victoria
Fossil of the ichthyosaur, Platypterygius australis.
Image: Jon Augier
Source: Museum Victoria
Reconstruction of the ichthyosaur, platypterygius australis
Image: Peter Trusler
Source: Museum Victoria
Large predatory marine reptiles such as Platypterygius, an ichthyosaur, used their powerful tails to propel themselves through the warm inland sea that covered much of central and northern Australia in the Cretaceous. They used their sharp, ridged teeth and long snouts to catch fish and ammonites.
The skull of this ichthyosaur took a year to remove from the rock. The process involved dipping it into a bath of weak acid that dissolved the rock, but not the fossil. The fossil includes the whole ‘snout’ of the animal which makes it a rare find.