A partial skeleton found in the Fernie Formation in British Columbia, Canada, back in 1916 represents a new genus and species of an extinct marine reptile called ichthyosaur, according to an international team of paleontologists.

Fernatator prenticei lived in North America during the Early Jurassic epoch, around 190 million years ago.

“Ichthyosaurs — marine reptiles superficially resembling dolphins — were important marine predators from the Early Triassic (Olenekian) to the beginning of the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian),” said Professor Judy Massare of SUNY College at Brockport and colleagues.

“They were the dominant large predators in the Triassic and Early Jurassic oceans.”

“Thousands of partial and complete skeletons of Early Jurassic ichthyosaurs have been collected, mainly from the UK and Germany.”

“Early Jurassic ichthyosaurs from North America are rare,” they noted.

“Thus, the discovery of a partial skeleton from western Canada is significant.”