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Description
Ichthyosaurus communis
In 1810, siblings Joseph and Mary Anning discovered one of the most complete fossils of an extinct animal found up to that point. It looked truly bizarre to the two Dorset natives. It looked a lot like a fish, but it clearly wasn’t a fish.

Discovery and Naming:
In 1818, German naturalist Charles König concocted an informal name for specimens like this peculiar animal, Ichthyosaurus, derived from the Greek literally meaning “fish lizard”. Another specimen in the intervening years was uncovered and it was in 1821, English Paleontologists Sir Henry De la Beche and William Conybeare put that name to paper Naming it, Ichthyosaurus communis. The species name derives from the Latin meaning “common”. The holotype of this fossil is now lost, however, as true to its name, in the past two centuries, countless fossils of Ichthyosaurus have been found, consisting of incomplete fragments to complete mummified specimens.

Description:
Fossils of this creature have been found all over Europe. Existing from around 206-185,000,000 years ago, from the end of the Triassic to the dawn of the Jurassic.
Ichthyosaurus belonged to a group of animals that ranged in many shapes and sizes. However, when one thinks of Ichthyosaurs in general, normally, this is the animal that comes to mind. The Dolphin of the Jurassic. At around 10ft long and 200lbs, it was small, even by Ichthyosaur standards at the time.

Fossils and Appearance:
Well preserved specimens of Ichthyosaurus show a distinctive dorsal and tail fluke made of soft tissue. Made to provide extra propulsion and stability in the water. Despite being a reptile, the skin of Ichthyosaurus is likely to have been scaleless. Its texture was believed to have been like modern-day cetaceans. Coloration is something that has been extrapolated from well-preserved specimens. Under a microscope, paleontologists have found that it could have been dark color (IE: Black), as well as countershading on some species. So, like modern cetaceans, they could have possessed a myriad of different colors depending on their ecological niche. In the case of Ichthyosaurus itself, paleontologists believe it was largely pelagic, living in open water and probably was dark in coloration and it perhaps had some countershading.
Recent fossil finds also show evidence of blubber beneath their skin. While not as thick as modern cetaceans or pinnipeds, it’s there nonetheless, and like modern marine mammals, it was there to provide insulation to the animal.

Diet:
The diet of Ichthyosaurus was probably fish and squid that it would catch using its elongated maw. Inside its mouth were peg-like teeth with a slight recurve designed to snare fish. It’s believed that they could have swum into shoals of fish, snagged them up by sweeping through the school and grabbed a couple of them.

Reproduction and Behavior:
When these animals were first discovered, it was thought they returned to land and laid eggs. However, even in the 19th century, specimens of Ichthyosaurs have been found showing pregnant females with their fetuses still inside them. Not only did they give birth to live young, but it also shows they were born tail first to prevent the juvenile from drowning. It cannot be extrapolated as to whether these animals (like modern cetaceans) were caring parents.

ExtinctionL
The extinction of this animal is largely believed to have been down to climate change. During the end Triassic extinction event the climate changed dramatically. However, they were able to persist into the Jurassic, but eventually, around 185,000,000 years ago, Ichthyosaurus itself would vanish from the fossil record. Ichthyosaurs in general would persist to the Late-Cretaceous, before being usurped by smaller Plesiosaurs, however, they’re among the most successful of all marine reptiles. Lasting for more than 160,000,000 years. Ichthyosaurus itself is an icon of paleontology, discovered by two siblings during the dawn of the paleontological study, and are now the most well-known of all creatures that swam the Mesozoic seas.
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Another profile for a marine reptile. Haven't done one of these in a while, so I thought I'd do one of the most well-known creatures that swam the Jurassic seas.

Will this be in PMP? Obviously no. It's really difficult to try and pose these animals underwater, and very few, if any scenes of PMP will show underwater scenes.

Model and skin was made by Samuel. No edits were made to it. The skin is among my favorites of all Ichthyosaurs in ZT2, a distinctive countershaded coloration with a blue blotch on the animal.

Model and skin made by Samuel, original by DinosaurManZT2 :
Ichthyosaurus (Samuel) | ZT2 Download Library Wiki | Fandom

Description
Ichthyosaurus communis
In 1810, siblings Joseph and Mary Anning discovered one of the most complete fossils of an extinct animal found up to that point. It looked truly bizarre to the two Dorset natives. It looked a lot like a fish, but it clearly wasn’t a fish.

Discovery and Naming:
In 1818, German naturalist Charles König concocted an informal name for specimens like this peculiar animal, Ichthyosaurus, derived from the Greek literally meaning “fish lizard”. Another specimen in the intervening years was uncovered and it was in 1821, English Paleontologists Sir Henry De la Beche and William Conybeare put that name to paper Naming it, Ichthyosaurus communis. The species name derives from the Latin meaning “common”. The holotype of this fossil is now lost, however, as true to its name, in the past two centuries, countless fossils of Ichthyosaurus have been found, consisting of incomplete fragments to complete mummified specimens.

Description:
Fossils of this creature have been found all over Europe. Existing from around 206-185,000,000 years ago, from the end of the Triassic to the dawn of the Jurassic.
Ichthyosaurus belonged to a group of animals that ranged in many shapes and sizes. However, when one thinks of Ichthyosaurs in general, normally, this is the animal that comes to mind. The Dolphin of the Jurassic. At around 10ft long and 200lbs, it was small, even by Ichthyosaur standards at the time.

Fossils and Appearance:
Well preserved specimens of Ichthyosaurus show a distinctive dorsal and tail fluke made of soft tissue. Made to provide extra propulsion and stability in the water. Despite being a reptile, the skin of Ichthyosaurus is likely to have been scaleless. Its texture was believed to have been like modern-day cetaceans. Coloration is something that has been extrapolated from well-preserved specimens. Under a microscope, paleontologists have found that it could have been dark color (IE: Black), as well as countershading on some species. So, like modern cetaceans, they could have possessed a myriad of different colors depending on their ecological niche. In the case of Ichthyosaurus itself, paleontologists believe it was largely pelagic, living in open water and probably was dark in coloration and it perhaps had some countershading.
Recent fossil finds also show evidence of blubber beneath their skin. While not as thick as modern cetaceans or pinnipeds, it’s there nonetheless, and like modern marine mammals, it was there to provide insulation to the animal.

Diet:
The diet of Ichthyosaurus was probably fish and squid that it would catch using its elongated maw. Inside its mouth were peg-like teeth with a slight recurve designed to snare fish. It’s believed that they could have swum into shoals of fish, snagged them up by sweeping through the school and grabbed a couple of them.

Reproduction and Behavior:
When these animals were first discovered, it was thought they returned to land and laid eggs. However, even in the 19th century, specimens of Ichthyosaurs have been found showing pregnant females with their fetuses still inside them. Not only did they give birth to live young, but it also shows they were born tail first to prevent the juvenile from drowning. It cannot be extrapolated as to whether these animals (like modern cetaceans) were caring parents.

ExtinctionL
The extinction of this animal is largely believed to have been down to climate change. During the end Triassic extinction event the climate changed dramatically. However, they were able to persist into the Jurassic, but eventually, around 185,000,000 years ago, Ichthyosaurus itself would vanish from the fossil record. Ichthyosaurs in general would persist to the Late-Cretaceous, before being usurped by smaller Plesiosaurs, however, they’re among the most successful of all marine reptiles. Lasting for more than 160,000,000 years. Ichthyosaurus itself is an icon of paleontology, discovered by two siblings during the dawn of the paleontological study, and are now the most well-known of all creatures that swam the Mesozoic seas.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Another profile for a marine reptile. Haven't done one of these in a while, so I thought I'd do one of the most well-known creatures that swam the Jurassic seas.

Will this be in PMP? Obviously no. It's really difficult to try and pose these animals underwater, and very few, if any scenes of PMP will show underwater scenes.

Model and skin was made by Samuel. No edits were made to it. The skin is among my favorites of all Ichthyosaurs in ZT2, a distinctive countershaded coloration with a blue blotch on the animal.

Model and skin made by Samuel, original by DinosaurManZT2 :
Ichthyosaurus (Samuel) | ZT2 Download Library Wiki | Fandom