Ichthyosaur juvenile, Torso

This is a partial skeleton of an Ichthyosaurus juvenile. The fossil comes from the Lower Jurassic layers
(Lias epsilon) of Holzmaden in Germany. It is about 180 million years old.

As a special feature, this exhibit shows various preserved soft tissues: skin (black areas on the sides), 
stomach contents (interesting three-dimensionally preserved bone remains) and even parts of the internal 
organs. An expert from the USA interpreted the light brown, smooth areas above the limb as the remains 
of the animal's liver.

Elaborate preparation: Such soft tissues can only be preserved by using modern sandblasting technology 
and very careful and time-consuming preparation.

The slab is unbroken (only a small piece of stone was placed below the paddle to improve the overall 
appearance of the fossil. The stone measures approximately 25 x 24 x 2.5 cm.

Scientifically interesting and perfectly prepared piece!