Unexpected fossil detection of marine reptiles has 4 nostrils

This marine reptile is also known as the fish lizard. The strange thing is that its very 'weird' nose, unlike any reptile ever.

A new reptile was discovered in the eastern Andes of Colombia. Its nose is very special, each nostril is divided into two separate holes, which distinguishes it from other fish lizards.

This marine reptile is named Muiscasaurus catheti , which is 130 million years old. Scientists say it will be difficult to accurately simulate this species because it lived a long time ago. Like other species in this family, M. catheti has large eyes, jaws and small teeth and eats other small fishes. Fossils are found to be of an immature individual, 3m long. Adults can reach 5m in length.

Fossils of fish lizards.

Erin Maxwell, a chemical analyst at Stuttgart's Museum of Natural History, said: 'It can be determined that this is an immature child based on eye size compared to the rest of the skull. In reptiles, individuals often have very large eyes and heads compared to the whole body. '

"What's more, its bones are porous, suggesting it is continuing to grow. Because only the skull is found, it is difficult to determine how its body is ttroong."

The skull part of the fish is being studied.

They are fish lizards like this new species that live in the ocean from the Triassic period to the Cretaceous period about 250 to 100 million years ago. M.catheti lived about 15 million years ago when the lizard fish became extinct. The reason they disappeared is still a mystery.

Simulation image of M.catheti reptile.

Today the tropics hold the highest number of vertebrate marine species, but very few are known since the early Cretaceous period.

New fossils from Colombia will be useful in understanding whether tropical waters are always biodiversity hotspots.