Utah People's Post

The Latest News from the Beehive State

Thursday, June 30, 2022
Log in
  • National News
    • Female Caseworker Killed & Doctor Shot in Philadelphia
  • State News
    • Car Chase Leads to Drug Arrest
  • Tech & Science
  • Health
    • How to Prepare For Ticks Season
    • Magical Weight Loss Bean Scam
  • Sports
  • Business
You are here: Home / Tech & Science / Climate Change Caused Ichthyosaurs to Go Extinct

Climate Change Caused Ichthyosaurs to Go Extinct

March 10, 2016 Posted by Nathaniel Hooper

ichthyosaur

Imagine that prolonged climate change eventually makes all the dolphins disappear from the world’s oceans. Unlikely – and shocking – as that may be, it actually happened in the past to another group of marine creatures: the ichthyosaurs.

During the dinosaur era, these “fish-reptiles” were a predominant group of marine predators, with some of the most impressive and profound modifications. The ichthyosaurs became fast, efficient swimmers, and their body turned in a shark-like body shape.

Their large eyes – some of the largest in the entire animal kingdom – would presumably help the ichthyosaurs look for food and hunt prey in deep marine scenarios. We currently have knowledge about a hundred ichthyosaur species, whose reign ended around 90 million years ago.

But the mystery of the ichthyosaurs’ demise occurred long before the mass extinction of 66m years ago; two theories try to explain their sudden extinction.

First, there’s the hypothesis that other marine predators – particularly fast-reproducing and fast-moving fish – have increased the competition for survival in the ancient oceans. Second, experts think that their food disappeared.

There’s one point that links these two theories: both focus on the idea the lack of diversity among ichthyosaurs, so the species didn’t respond to minor changes in food and competition. The more diverse and varied a group is, the easier for its members to survive changing circumstances and environments.

But after studying the fossil records, a team at the University of Oxford found both theories are unfounded. During the last chapter of their history, the ichthyosaurs were actually very diverse. In fact, some evidence even suggests this is the time when they became the most diverse.

At the same time, the analyses showed the ichthyosaurs never evolved more slowly; they were simply well-adapted to their environments, so they stopped evolving.

On the other hand, when researchers studied the global environment – sea levels and sea surface temperature – they found that the ichthyosaur extinction rates synced with the climate changes that occurred in two phases separated by about 5m to 6m.

Not only the ichthyosaurs went extinct during these periods; other marine groups saw an accelerated evolution that eventually led to extinction, as well. Changes in sea levels and other environmental alterations affected almost all of the marine ecosystems, starting from coral reefs to the large predators.
Image Source: Deviant Art

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email

Filed Under: Tech & Science

Woman working out at the gym

Just 23% of Americans Are Working Out Enough in Their Spare Time

June 29, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

Poliovirus Therapy Gives Brain Cancer Patients New Hope (Study)

June 29, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

United Airlines airplane

Passenger Mysteriously Dies on United Airlines flight Bound for Boston

June 28, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

Breakfast sandwich

Here Are Some Foods No Nutritionist Would Ever Eat

June 27, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

Poppy flower

UN Warns of Surge in Opium-based Drugs and Cocaine Supply

June 27, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

U.S.-Canada border

French Jogger Detained 2 Weeks for Accidentally Crossing Border

June 26, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

Plus size model

Normalizing Plus Size Could Fuel Obesity Crisis (Study)

June 25, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

Giant manta ray

Unique Manta Ray Nursery Spotted off Texas Coast

June 23, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

The rainbow flag

WHO Scraps Transgenderism from List of Mental Illnesses

June 22, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

456 People Dead at U.K. Hospital after Taking too Many Painkillers

June 21, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

Kenyan girls dancing

Kenyans Facing Poor Nutrition as Supermarket Shopping Is on the Rise

June 20, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

Pages

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • Staff
  • Terms and Conditions

Recent Posts

  • Just 23% of Americans Are Working Out Enough in Their Spare Time
  • Poliovirus Therapy Gives Brain Cancer Patients New Hope (Study)
  • Passenger Mysteriously Dies on United Airlines flight Bound for Boston
  • Here Are Some Foods No Nutritionist Would Ever Eat
  • UN Warns of Surge in Opium-based Drugs and Cocaine Supply
  • French Jogger Detained 2 Weeks for Accidentally Crossing Border
  • Normalizing Plus Size Could Fuel Obesity Crisis (Study)

Related Articles

  • Crosses on a wall

    Religious People Live Longer, Are Less Stressed than Atheists, Study

    Jun 15, 2018
  • Antineutrino Detector

    Scientists Discover an Even More Elusive Particle than Neutrinos

    Jun 5, 2018
  • Funny Albert Einstein

    Time Travel Is Already Here

    May 30, 2018
  • Planet 2003UB313

    Scientists Found Evidence that Elusive Planet 9 May Be Real

    May 18, 2018
  • Kuiper Belt Object

    This Asteroid in Kuiper Belt Is Nothing Scientists Have Seen Before

    May 11, 2018
  • Elephant raising its trunk

    Elephants Communicate with Their Feet, Scientists Confirm

    May 9, 2018
  • Starbucks store

    Black Men Settle for $1 Each after Racist Arrest at Starbucks

    May 3, 2018
  • Tech addiction

    Facebook Pioneers Forming Coalition to Lobby Against Tech Addiction

    Feb 5, 2018
  • Kaspersky Co-founder Natalia Kasperskaya

    Kaspersky Boss: Bitcoin Was Created by U.S. Govt to Fund CIA’s Black Ops

    Feb 1, 2018
  • Amazon Go shopper

    Amazon Gets Rid of Cashiers at Its Check-Out Free Store

    Jan 30, 2018

Categories

  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • National News
  • Nature
  • Provo
  • Salt Lake News
  • Science
  • Sports
  • State News
  • Tech & Science
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • West Jordan
  • West Valley City
  • World

Copyright © 2022 utahpeoplespost.com

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Site Map · Contact