Soft-tissue evidence for homeothermy and crypsis in a Jurassic ichthyosaur

Johan Lindgren (), Peter Sjövall, Volker Thiel, Wenxia Zheng, Shosuke Ito, Kazumasa Wakamatsu, Rolf Hauff, Benjamin P. Kear, Anders Engdahl, Carl Alwmark, Mats E. Eriksson, Martin Jarenmark, Sven Sachs, Per E. Ahlberg, Federica Marone, Takeo Kuriyama, Ola Gustafsson, Per Malmberg, Aurélien Thomen, Irene Rodríguez-Meizoso, Per Uvdal, Makoto Ojika and Mary H. Schweitzer
Additional contact information
Johan Lindgren: Lund University
Peter Sjövall: Chemistry and Materials
Volker Thiel: University of Göttingen
Wenxia Zheng: North Carolina State University
Shosuke Ito: Fujita Health University School of Health Sciences
Kazumasa Wakamatsu: Fujita Health University School of Health Sciences
Rolf Hauff: Urweltmuseum Hauff
Benjamin P. Kear: Uppsala University
Anders Engdahl: Lund University
Carl Alwmark: Lund University
Mats E. Eriksson: Lund University
Martin Jarenmark: Lund University
Sven Sachs: Abteilung Geowissenschaften
Per E. Ahlberg: Uppsala University
Federica Marone: Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute
Takeo Kuriyama: University of Hyogo
Ola Gustafsson: Lund University
Per Malmberg: Chalmers University of Technology
Aurélien Thomen: University of Gothenburg
Irene Rodríguez-Meizoso: Lund University
Per Uvdal: Lund University
Makoto Ojika: Nagoya University
Mary H. Schweitzer: Lund University

Nature, 2018, vol. 564, issue 7736, 359-365

Abstract: Abstract Ichthyosaurs are extinct marine reptiles that display a notable external similarity to modern toothed whales. Here we show that this resemblance is more than skin deep. We apply a multidisciplinary experimental approach to characterize the cellular and molecular composition of integumental tissues in an exceptionally preserved specimen of the Early Jurassic ichthyosaur Stenopterygius. Our analyses recovered still-flexible remnants of the original scaleless skin, which comprises morphologically distinct epidermal and dermal layers. These are underlain by insulating blubber that would have augmented streamlining, buoyancy and homeothermy. Additionally, we identify endogenous proteinaceous and lipid constituents, together with keratinocytes and branched melanophores that contain eumelanin pigment. Distributional variation of melanophores across the body suggests countershading, possibly enhanced by physiological adjustments of colour to enable photoprotection, concealment and/or thermoregulation. Convergence of ichthyosaurs with extant marine amniotes thus extends to the ultrastructural and molecular levels, reflecting the omnipresent constraints of their shared adaptation to pelagic life.

Keywords: Ichthyosaurs; Stenopterygius; Blubber; Melanophores; Harbor Porpoise (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0775-x

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