Malawania
Malawania was a small ichthyosaur that lived in the Early Cretaceous seas. It looked a bit like a dolphin, with flippers instead of legs and a long snout. It is special because it was one of the last ichthyosaurs that did not belong to the ophthalmosaurid group.12
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Fun facts
Malawania is the first non-ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur known from after the Jurassic,Cretaceous boundary, meaning it survived a time when most of its relatives had died out.1
Its scientific name means 'out-of-time swimmer' because it seemed to belong to an earlier time period.1
The only fossil of Malawania was found in 1952, but scientists did not know its age until 2013 when they studied tiny fossils called palynomorphs in the rock.2
Malawania had a short, trapezoid-shaped humerus (upper arm bone) and an intermedium bone in its flipper that was almost as big as the radius.2
Its forefin had four main fingers and no extra digits, unlike many later ichthyosaurs.2
The fossil was found in Iraq, which is the first post-Triassic ichthyosaur ever reported from the Middle East.2
Most asked questions about Malawania
?How big was Malawania?
About 3 metres (9.8 feet) long. That is roughly as long as a small car.1
?What did Malawania eat?
Scientists are not sure exactly, but like other ichthyosaurs it probably ate fish and squid. Its long snout and sharp teeth were good for catching slippery prey.1
?When did Malawania live?
It lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 130 to 125 million years ago. That is after most of its relatives had already died out.12
?Where was Malawania found?
The only fossil was discovered in 1952 in Iraqi Kurdistan, near the town of Amadia. It is the first post-Triassic ichthyosaur ever found in the Middle East.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Malawania
- Named by
- Fischer et al. 20133
- Group
- Ichthyosaurs
- Family / clade
- Thunnosauria3
- Classification
- Ichthyosauria > Ichthyosauromorpha3
- Age of the rocks
- 133 to 121 million years (Hauterivian / Barremian)3
- Countries
- Iraq3
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- The only known fossil of Malawania was discovered in 1952 near Amadia in Iraq. It was named Malawania anachronus by Fischer and colleagues in 2013.12
- Still debated
- Scientists are still debating exactly how Malawania is related to other ichthyosaurs, because it has a mix of ancient and modern features.2
Where the facts come from
- Malawania (en.wikipedia.org)
- biblio.naturalsciences.be (biblio.naturalsciences.be)
- Malawania in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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Ichthyosaurus
Platypterygius
Stenopterygius
Khudiakovia
Ophthalmosaurus
Chonespondylus
Stegosaurus
Iguanodon
Archaeopteryx
Giganotosaurus
Microraptor
Deinonychus