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The Economic Times
The Economic Times
National
Muskan Singh

In 2026, scientists uncovered a 1.1-meter pregnant ichthyosaur fossil in China. 247 million years later, at least 11 nearly born foetuses were found inside

A fossil discovered in southwestern China has given scientists an unusually detailed look at how some ancient marine reptiles reproduced. Inside the 1.1-metre-long ichthyosaur were at least 11 foetuses, all apparently at a late stage of development. The specimen, identified as Mixosaurus panxianensis , dates to the Anisian age of the Triassic period, around 247 to 242 million years ago.

The report is based on a research paper,describing the Mixosaurus panxianensis specimen from Panzhou County, Guizhou Province, China. Gu S, Wang W, Li X, Li C. 2026. High fecundity in an early-diverging ichthyosaur with over ten fetuses.PeerJ14:e21620

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