CHINA-MARINE REPTILE-NEW SPECIES-PACHYPLEUROSAUR-DISCOVERY (CN)

(220511) -- BEIJING, May 11, 2022 (Xinhua) -- This undated photo shows the fossil specimen and sketch of Honghesaurus, a new species of marine reptiles known as a pachypleurosaur. Chinese scientists have discovered a fossil of a new species of marine reptiles known as a pachypleurosaur, dating back 244 million years, with the longest tail ever seen for its kind, indicating it may have been an exceptional swimmer. The pachypleurosaurs were a group of small to medium-sized, lizard-like marine reptiles from the early to middle Triassic Period, and the new species has been named Honghesaurus after the discovery site Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture. (Chinese Academy of Sciences/Handout via Xinhua)