However, due to the lack of fossil data, the fact about the size of this ichthyosaur is still an unsolved mystery.
Above: A picture of all kinds of dragons and dragons. At first glance, it looks like a picture book of whales mixed with crocodiles. O( _ )O~
As for the feeding habits of New Zealand ichthyosaurs, we can only speculate from the feeding habits of ordinary ichthyosaurs.
In 20 17, it was reported from the Bostonian shale in Germany that the vertebrae of the187.7 million-year-old Stenopterygius (about 4 meters in size) were found in a carbonate nodule, and it still contained collagen fibers, cholesterol, platelets, red blood cells and white blood cells. The structure of this vertebra is not fossilized, but contains primitive organic tissue that can identify biomolecules. This is simply a rare treasure! Such unusual preservation condition explains the special preservation environment of carbonate nodules.
The red blood cells found in this vertebra are one-fourth to one-fifth the size of modern mammals. Considering the low oxygen level in Thorian period in the early Jurassic, scholars believe that this may be an adaptive performance to improve oxygen intake. The cholesterol in it has high carbon-13 isotope composition, which may indicate that ichthyosaurs are in a high ecological niche in the food chain, and fish and cephalopods are the main foods.
Above: ichthyosaur with narrow wings. This fossil is so well preserved!
Therefore, we can roughly guess that the niche of the giant New Zealand ichthyosaur should be higher than that of the narrow-winged ichthyosaur. Or feeding on large mollusks (such as giant squid) or large fish is a hypothesis, but considering their huge size, they may also feed on other ichthyosaurs or large marine organisms.
Referring to the current feeding habits of whales
At present, there is no evidence that ichthyosaurs have the characteristics of filtering feeding, so ichthyosaurs may be different from baleen whales in physiological structure, and from the perspective of evolutionary convergence, their feeding habits should be closer to toothed whales or dolphins, such as sperm whales or beaked dolphins. Most ichthyosaurs have fine teeth similar to dolphins and are suitable for catching mollusks and fish, especially squid or octopus.
Above: the artistic imagination of ichthyosaur predation scene-basically based on dolphins.
Above: Evolutionary convergence: a complete comparison of bones and body shapes between ichthyosaurs and dolphins (too many words to translate one by one)
To sum up
From the perspective of evolutionary convergence, ichthyosaurs can be compared with the niche of modern whales (including dolphins), but ichthyosaurs may not have evolved feeding organs similar to baleen whales, so we can limit the feeding habits of ichthyosaurs to those of toothed whales. However, the shape of modern toothed whales can't reach the level of New Zealand ichthyosaurs mentioned by the subject, so further discovery and research are needed to solve the feeding mystery of New Zealand giant ichthyosaurs.
Scientists once thought that the largest animal on earth was the blue whale, which was more than 33 meters long and weighed nearly 200 tons.
1878, a huge fossil was found in New Zealand. Scientists speculated that there was once a bigger animal that lived in the Triassic ocean more than 200 million years ago. This is the New Zealand big fish dragon.
New Zealand big fish dragon is huge, up to 38 meters long and weighing more than 300 tons. It is not only a heavyweight player, but also a swimmer. It can dive to the depths of 500 meters, stare at eyeballs with a diameter of more than one foot, and chase prey at a speed of 40 kilometers per hour.
New Zealand big fish dragon is a giant filter-feeding animal, with huge size, flexible skills, long and narrow nose and mouth. During breathing, a huge amount of seawater carrying a large number of small fish and shrimp is sucked into the mouth of big fish dragon, and then the seawater is spit out, and the fish and shrimp fall into the stomach. However, this is just a snack before meals.
What's more, it has unparalleled impact, with a long, pointed mouth and sharp teeth on both sides. Once it bites the slippery squid or squid, it will not loosen at all. These are nutritious and delicious meals!
It is estimated that the king squid is also a big guy. Generally, the adult king squid can reach more than 20 meters. It is said that Japan has seen 80 meters of squid. New Zealand big fish dragon feeds on such a giant creature, which is really at the peak of the food chain.
However, the New Zealand big fish dragon only existed in Triassic, and now it has disappeared in the long river of time. The reason for its extinction is still unknown, while the squid as food still lives in the deep sea. People can't help but sigh when they think of this.
New Zealand's big fish dragon really exists like a mystery. This creature bigger than the blue whale may be the biggest animal that has ever appeared on the earth.
Legend: New Zealand big fish dragon (black in the upper left corner) is compared with other giant animals. The picture comes from the Internet.
The fossil of the New Zealand big fish dragon was found on the bank of a river in New Zealand in 1878. The person who found the fossil obviously didn't know its importance, and didn't reinforce and preserve it. Finally, the fossil was lost, leaving only data. The fossil of the New Zealand big fish dragon is just an oversized vertebra with a diameter of 457 mm. According to this fossil, paleontologists speculate that it can reach 39 meters in length and weigh more than 300 tons! The blue whale is only 30 tons long and weighs 150 tons. You can imagine how big the New Zealand big fish dragon is!
Legend: New Zealand big fish dragon and human comparison, the picture comes from the network.
Legend: New Zealand big fish dragon and human comparison, the picture comes from the network.
If the New Zealand sauropod can really grow that big, then the question is, what does it eat?
Today, the largest animal on the earth, the blue whale, feeds on small scale shrimps. According to calculations, an adult blue whale can eat 40 million scale shrimps a day, weighing 3.7 tons!
The largest predator, sperm whales, mainly feed on the king squid with a body length of more than 10 meter.
Legend: Sperm whales prey on king squid, the picture comes from the Internet.
Comparing the above two kinds of whales, it is impossible for New Zealand sauropods to swallow food like blue whales, because so far, we have not found any ichthyosaurs with filtering ability. Then active predation has become the most likely feeding habit of New Zealand ichthyosaurs. During the Triassic period, other large ichthyosaurs or large fish (similar to Leeds fish in the Jurassic period) were able to fill the stomach of New Zealand ichthyosaurs. Of course, there may be potential giant cephalopods, but we have not found them yet.
Legend: The giant Himalayan ichthyosaur preys on other ichthyosaurs. The picture comes from the Internet.
The feeding habits of New Zealand sauropod are all speculation, because the existence of this animal is still a mystery, and it is expected that the fossils of New Zealand sauropod will be rediscovered in the future to uncover the true face of this god-like creature.