PREHISTORIC MONSTER.
FOSSIL REMAINS FOUND. J [FROM OUB OWN i CO»RESrONI)EKT.I " SYDNEY, Dec. 12. The discovery in the Northern Territory by' Dr. Paradise of the naval sloop Geranium of : the fossilised remains of !:a ; prehistoric , marine monster has caused a flutter- in local scientific circles. - , The ■ remains have been identified as an , ichthyo. saunas. Its species were I supposed to have' lived 150 million years ago, and the discovery is ; likely! to mark ; a new era: of (research.. - ' - ' - ■ Professor Sir Edgworth David, referring to ( the • discovery, f said the monster was : a combination of fish-lizard, ; sea dragon" and super crocodile. Popularly it was regarded as the " Missing Link," and I technically as the highly generalised type, combining ;:■ the (;■ attributes ? of , fish-marine reptiles. " It had a large fin on the tail, but the rest of the body, was mostly crocodile. Professor David said (the eyes had an iris diaphragm 'of camera-like arrange-, ment, which ; enabled the monster Jo shut off the light-when hearing the surface, ot the water, so ,as to prevent the eyes being dazzled by the sun. '(.' ■=~ . ''• '. , The remains are in a petrified state, but the vertebrae and bones are intact. * ■
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19231219.2.161
Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18586, 19 December 1923, Page 13
Word Count
192PREHISTORIC MONSTER. New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18586, 19 December 1923, Page 13
Using This Item
NZME is the copyright owner for the New Zealand Herald. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons New Zealand BY-NC-SA licence . This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of NZME. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Auckland Libraries and NZME.
Log in