Overview

• The nothosaur fossil is over 40 million years older than previously known southern sauropterygian fossils.
• Nothosaurs were early marine reptiles, predecessors to plesiosaurs, and grew up to 23 feet long.
• The fossil was found in 1978 but its significance was only recently understood through international collaboration.
• New findings suggest nothosaurs originated near the equator and spread rapidly due to post-extinction global warming.
• The discovery indicates ancient polar regions were critical routes for early marine reptile migrations.