The twelfth and last Mesozoic lizard to appear on the Czech Mint's silver coin from the Prehistoric World series is the Ichthyosaurus.

Ichthyosaurs were a group of highly adapted reptiles that migrated to the ocean and thus escaped the mass extinction of species at the boundary between the Permian and Triassic periods. Their bodies had a hydrodynamic shape similar to today's fish and dolphins. This made them agile swimmers who could move at speeds of around 40 kilometres per hour. Their biodiversity was considerable - while some forms measured only a few decimetres, others reached 26 metres in length. Giant ichthyosaurs could devour equally giant prey. They had no natural enemies, but they often fought among themselves, inflicting numerous injuries.

The reverse side of the coin was dedicated by the medal maker Petr Patka, DiS., to the depiction of an ichthyosaur in vivid colours, which were achieved by means of colouring technology. No photographs or computer graphics were used as a template - the author of the coin created an original painting. The embossed relief presents a Mesozoic sea teeming with life. The composition of the reverse side is concluded by the inscription ICHTHYOSAURUS. The obverse side of the coin, which is common to the entire cycle, bears a fossilised skeleton of a tyrannosaurus and the English inscription PREHISTORIC WORLD. As the licence to issue the commemorative coins of the Czech Mint is granted by the Pacific island of Niue, the obverse side bears its necessary attributes - the national emblem, the nominal value of 1 DOLLAR (NZD) and the year of issue 2024.

You can save the coin dedicated to the marine reptile in a collector's album, which is full of interesting facts about the life of giant lizards.