25 meters long. Fossils of the largest prehistoric marine reptile discovered in the UK
April 19, 08:00 Share:
Artist's impression of Ichthyotitan severnensis (Photo: Sergey Krasovsky)
The fossilized remains of a second giant jawbone, more than two meters long, have been discovered on a beach in Somerset, UK.. Experts have determined that these are the jaws of a new species of ichthyosaur, a prehistoric sea creature about 25 meters in size.
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Father and daughter Justin and Ruby Reynolds from Devon discovered the first pieces of the jaw in 2020 while searching for fossils on a beach in Somerset. First, 11-year-old Ruby found one of the pieces, and then she and her father began searching for additional pieces.
This event is reported in PLOS One magazine.
Realizing the importance of their discovery, they contacted leading ichthyosaur expert Dr. Dean Lomax. Together with Paul de la Salle, an experienced fossil collector, they continued their search and eventually found additional pieces of the same jaw, dating back millions of years.
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Experts, having studied the samples, came to the conclusion that this is a new species of giant ichthyosaur, comparable in size to a blue whale.. They named the new genus and species Ichthyotitan severnensis, which means “ Severn's giant fish lizard.”
The fossils date back to approximately 202 million years and represent the last known examples of ichthyosaurs that lived at the end of the Triassic period.. This time is associated with a global mass extinction, after which the giant ichthyosaurs disappeared, leaving only their fossils to history.