a shorter tail, and longer flippers with additional phalanges, could have represented the females; the longer trunk may have provided room for the embryos. Generally, the brain shows the limited size and elongated shape of that of modern cold-blooded reptiles. However, in 1973, McGowan, while studying the natural endocast of a well-preserved specimen, pointed out that the telencephalon was not very small. The visual lobes were large, as could be expected from the eye size. The olfactory lobes were, though not especially large, well-differentiated; the same was true of the cerebellum. Pathologies Though fossils revealing ichthyosaur behavior remain rare, one ichthyosaur fossil is known to have sustained bites to the snout region. Discovered in Australia, and analyzed by Benjamin Kear et alii in 2011, measurements of the wounds reveal that the bite marks were inflicted by another ichthyosaur, likely of the same species, a probable case of face biting during a conflict. The wounds show signs of healing in the form of bone growth, meaning that the victim survived the attack. Another, very large ichthyosaur close to nine metres in length was found in Svalbard; it was nearly complete save for its tail. Scrutiny of the find revealed that while hunting ammonites (as evidenced by an ammonite shell in the throat region), the ichthyosaur was ambushed and attacked, likely by a pliosaurid (known from the same habitat), which severed its tail. The ichthyosaur then sank to the depths, drowning and eventually becoming fossilized in the deep water. The find was revealed to the public in the National Geographic special Death of a Sea Monster. Geological formations The following is a list of geological formations in which ichthyosaur fossils have been found: See also List of ichthyosaurs Timeline of ichthyosaur research Dolphin References Sources Ellis, Richard, (2003) Sea Dragons – Predators of the Prehistoric Oceans. University Press of Kansas. . McGowan, Christopher (1992). Dinosaurs, Spitfires and Sea Dragons. Harvard University Press. . McGowan, Christopher & Motani, Ryosuke (2003). "Ichthyopterygia, Handbook of Paleoherpetology, Part 8, Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil. Motani, R. (1997). "Temporal and spatial distribution of tooth implantation in ichthyosaurs", in JM Callaway & EL Nicholls (eds.), Ancient Marine Reptiles. Academic Press. pp. 81–103. External links USMP Berkeley's ichthyosaur introduction Ryosuke Motani's detailed Ichthyosaur homepage, with vivid graphics Eureptilia: Ichthyosauria – Palaeos Hauff Museum, Germany – exhibiting the finds of Holzmaden 01 Extinct reptiles Mesozoic reptiles Triassic reptiles Jurassic reptiles Cretaceous