The skeleton has a host of potential and is a treasure trove of genetic goodies. A large, nearly-complete ichthyosaur skeleton was excavated by palaeontologist Jørn Hurum and his team from the approximately 147-million-year-old strata of Svalbard, Norway. It is the first discovery of its kind made at this Arctic site, but the shark-shaped marine reptile is not the first Svalbard fossil to enjoy fame.
In 2008, Hurum made news with the discovery of a short-necked, large-mouthed pliosaur informally dubbed The Monster. Then, in a 2009 he found a second, even bigger pliosaur from the same site. Now this prolific dino finder is at it again, but what can Hurum find out from the ichthyosaur's skeleton?