First ichthyosaur fossil discovered in Denmark, expanding knowledge of the marine reptiles in Scandinavia

The fossil was a vertebra about nine centimeters wide and eight centimeters high. It was found in a boulder at Lodbjerg Klint in Thy.

Ichthyosaurs were marine reptiles that lived in the oceans until 94 million years ago. They evolved from land animals into creatures resembling today’s tuna and dolphins.

“There are very few ichthyosaur fossils from Scandinavia, and until now we were not aware of any such finds in Denmark. This find therefore gives us new knowledge about the occurrence of ichthyosaurs in the region,” says Laura Cotton, curator at the National Museum of Natural History in Denmark.

Until now, ichthyosaur fossils in the region had only been found in Arctic Norway.