Remains of Large Pangolin Discovered in Germany

It is one of the greatest rarities ever excavated in the region
German scientists discovered remains of Temnodontosaurus, the largest ichthyosaurus living within the territory of today's Germany, in the south of the country, Der Spiegel reports. Specialists say that the ichthyoid pangolin whose remains have been discovered near the city of Aislingen could reach about 7 meters. Scientists call the temnodontosaurus "an Aislingen monster"; it is believed it lived about 185 million years ago; fed on small reptiles and fish. 

The discovered remains consist of a skull and a large spine segment. Expert from the Stuttgart Natural History Museum Reiner Schoh says: "Good conservation and an almost intact skull make the discovery one of the greatest rarities we've managed to excavate in the region."
 
The remains were discovered about two weeks ago. The zoolite weighing about 1 ton was specially covered with a gypsum layer and then cleared off alien rocks. The bones are to undergo studies at the Stuttgart Natural History Museum and then will be publicly exhibited. The scientists will especially focus on research of the skull with the purpose of getting information about the anatomy and habits of "the Aislingen monster".
 
According to information available now, temnodontosaurus was one of the largest predators in that part of the Jurassic Sea that later became the territory of Schwabenland (a medieval German duchy, then a historic region in south-western Germany). However, it is not yet clear whether temnodontosaurus was viviparous or not.