Chemical and microscopic analyses of specimen MH 432 resolve skin layers, blubber-like tissue and eumelanin-bearing structures in a Toarcian ichthyosaur.
Represented range180–180 Ma
RegionsPosidonia Shale, Holzmaden, Germany
CladesStenopterygius · Ichthyosauria
Claim ledger
morphology · medium
Specimen MH 432 preserves scaleless skin layers, a subcutaneous blubber-like layer and eumelanin-bearing structures in Stenopterygius; countershading, thermoregulation and metabolic consequences are comparative interpretations rather than directly measured physiology.