Kazakh citizens will soon have the opportunity to see the skeleton of an ichthyosaur. A full-size model of the remains of the oldest marine reptile from the Mesozoic era is set to be unveiled next year. Remarkably, fragments of the predator’s bones, which lived 250 million years ago, were discovered in the west of the country by young geologists back in 2016. It was later revealed that this dinosaur species was previously unknown to science. Named «Kazakhstanosaurus», it measured six to seven meters in length, with a skull over a meter long, limbs approximately two meters, and eyes up to 20 centimeters in diameter. The reconstruction of the reptile’s skeletal structure is being carried out at Nazarbayev University. Before creating a 3D model of the ichthyosaur’s missing parts, researchers at the university conducted a thorough study of the skeleton’s origins and performed a scientific analysis of the bones.
«We have our own students working in the paleontology area, but we are also collaborating with engineering students because they have the technology to do high-tech 3D scanning and 3D printing. We want to have it on public display, we want to open up a museum here. It's essentially a complete skeleton. I hope to have even one floating in our atrium. We have the benefit in 3D printing that we can print a lightweight plastic version so it might float in the air,» noted Randy Hazlett, Dean of the NU School of Mining and Geosciences.
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