Three Associate Ichthyosaur Vertebrae - Germany

This is a cool piece with three large ichthyosaur vertebrae in association. The larger vert is 2.7" wide and matrix has been left in place between the vertebrae so that they are still attached. The preservation is very nice and it's been cleaned using air abrasives with no restoration. It comes from the Posidonia Shale Formation formation in Southern Germany which is approximately 183 million years old (Early Jurassic)

Ichthyosaurs ("Fish Lizard") was a giant marine reptile which thrived from much of the Mesozoic era. They evolved in the mid Triassic from a group of unidentified land reptiles which transition back into the water. This line evolved in parallel to the ancestors of todays dolphins and whales, something known as convergent evolution.