Oldest Southern Hemisphere Sea Reptile Fossil Discovered in New Zealand

The 246-million-year-old nothosaur fossil challenges previous theories on early marine reptile migration and evolution.

The nothosaur fossil is over 40 million years older than previously known southern sauropterygian fossils.
Nothosaurs were early marine reptiles, predecessors to plesiosaurs, and grew up to 23 feet long.
The fossil was found in 1978 but its significance was only recently understood through international collaboration.
New findings suggest nothosaurs originated near the equator and spread rapidly due to post-extinction global warming.
The discovery indicates ancient polar regions were critical routes for early marine reptile migrations.