Ichthyosaur

While dinosaurs dominated land during the Mesozoic Era (252-66 million years ago), marine reptiles like this giant ichthyosaur, Cymbospondylus youngorum, ruled the sea. Come see the complete skull on display for the very first time.  

With a skull size of 2 meters and an estimated body size of 17 meters, this creature is the largest animal discovered from the Middle Triassic (242-244 million years ago).

Immerse yourself in the epic story of this fossil giant that was first found and excavated from the Nevada mountains. Over the past few years, visitors have caught glimpses of C. youngorum being worked on in our Dinosaur Lab. Tom and Bonda Young, founders of the Great Basin Brewing Co., helped fund the seven years of work it took to dig up and prepare C. youngorum in NHM’s Dino Lab for display.

In this temporary exhibit, you WIll:

• See the full skull of this ancient ichthyosaur discovered by our Dinosaur Institute.
• Get up close to the cone-shaped teeth and narrow snout of this ocean predator’s complete two-meter skull.
• Learn about its journey to the Museum.