Scientists have discovered an ancient, 25-metre-long ‘giant fish lizard’ in Britain

The fossilized remains of another giant jawbone measuring more than two meters in length have been found on a beach in Somerset, UK.

Experts determined that the bones belonged to new jaws Classify A huge ichthyosaur, a type of prehistoric marine reptile. It is estimated that the oceanic giant would have been more than 25 meters long.

Father and daughter Justin and Ruby Reynolds from Braunton, Devon, found the first pieces of a second jawbone found in May 2020 while searching for fossils on the beach at Blue Anchor, Somerset. Ruby, then 11, found the first piece of the giant bone before they started looking for additional pieces together.

An image of the giant’s nearly complete jawbone, along with a comparison to the 2018 bone (middle and bottom) found by Paul de La Salle. Credit: Dr. Dean Lomax

Realizing they had discovered something important, they contacted leading ichthyosaur expert, Dr Dean Lomax, a paleontologist at the University of Manchester. Dr. Lomax, who is also a Research Fellow at the University of 1851 University of BristolI contacted Paul de La Salle, an experienced fossil collector who found the first giant jawbone further up the coast at Lilystock in May 2016.

Excitement and more discoveries

Dr. Dean Lomax said: “I was amazed by this discovery. In 2018, my team (including Paul de La Salle) studied and described Paul’s gigantic jawbone, and we hoped that one day another bone would come to light. This new copy is more complete.” “And it’s better preserved, and it shows that we now have two of these giant bones – called rectangular bones – that have a unique shape and structure. I am very excited to say the least.”

Justin and Robbie, together with Paul, visited Dr. Lomax and several family members use the site to look for more pieces of this rare find. Over time, the team found additional pieces of the same jaw that fit together perfectly, like a million-year-old jigsaw puzzle.

“When Robbie and I found the first two pieces, we were so excited because we realized this was something important and unusual,” Justin said. “When I found the back of the jaw I was thrilled because this is one of the iconic parts of Paul’s early discovery.

Huge pair of swimmers Ichthyotitan ergensis. Credit: Gabriel Oguito, CC-BY 4.0

The last piece of bone was recovered in October 2022.

The research team, led by Dr. Lomax, revealed that the jawbones belonged to a new species of giant ichthyosaur that would have been the size of a blue whale. Comparing two examples of the same bone with the same unique features from the same geological time zone supports their identification.

The team has named the new genus and species Ichthyotitan ergensismeaning ‘giant Severn fish lizard’.

Historical context and significance

The bones are approximately 202 million years old and date from the end of the Stone Age Trias A period known as the Rhaetian. During this time, giant ichthyosaurs swam the seas while dinosaurs walked the land. However, this was the final chapter of the giants’ lives, and the story told in the rocks above these fossils records a catastrophe known as the Late Triassic Global Mass Extinction Event. After this time, giant ichthyosaurs from the family known as Shastasauridae became extinct. Today, these bones represent the last of their kind.

Ichthyotetan It is not the first giant ichthyosaur in the world, but the discoveries of De la Sales and Reynolds are unique among those known to science. These bones appear about 13 million years after their most recent geological relatives, including… Schonisaurus sikanensis From British Columbia, Canada and Himalayasaurus from Tibet From Tibet, China.

Part of the research team that (re)examines the preliminary findings of Robbie and Justin Reynolds’ new discovery in 2020. Later, more bone fragments were discovered. From left to right: Dr. Dean Lomax, Robbie Reynolds, Justin Reynolds and Paul De La Salle. Credit: Dr. Dean Lomax

Dr. Lomax added: “I was very impressed that Robbie and Justin correctly identified this find as a huge ichthyosaur jawbone. They realized it matched the fossil we described in 2018. I asked them if they would like to join my team to study and describe this fossil. They seized the opportunity when naming it. For Ruby in particular, she is now a published scientist who has not only discovered, but also helped name a species of giant prehistoric reptile, which perhaps not many 15 year olds can say! Mary Anning may be under construction.”

Ruby said: “It was amazing to discover part of this giant ichthyosaur. I am very proud to have played a role in a scientific discovery like this.

Further research into the internal structures of the bones was carried out by master’s student Marcelo Perello from the University of Bonn, Germany. His work confirmed the origin of the ichthyosaur’s bones and revealed that the animal was still growing at the time of death.

He said: “We can confirm the unique set of histological features typical of the mandible of a giant ichthyosaur: the abnormal periosteal growth of these bones indicates bone growth strategies that have not yet been understood, that have now been lost to deep time and that probably allowed Late Triassic ichthyosaurs to reach the limits of known biological organisms Vertebrates according to size. Much is still shrouded in mystery about these giants, but fossil by fossil we will be able to reveal their secret.

Concluding the work, Paul de La Salle added: “The belief that my discovery in 2016 will arouse so much interest in these enormous creatures fills me with joy. When I found the first jawbone, I knew it was something special. It’s incredible to have a second one that confirms our findings.” . I am very happy.”

Robbie, Justine and Paul’s discoveries will soon be on display at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.

“This investigation has been going on for almost eight years,” said Lomax. “It is extraordinarily remarkable to think that giant ichthyosaurs the size of blue whales swam in the oceans around what was Britain during the Triassic. These jawbones provide tantalizing evidence that you may one day find a complete skull or skeleton of one of these giants, you never know.

Reference: “The Last of the Giants: New Evidence for Giant Ichthyosaurs from the Late Triassic (Rhaetian) of the United Kingdom” by Dean R. Lomax, Paul De La Salle, Marcelo Perillo, Justin Reynolds, Robbie Reynolds and James F. Waldron , April 17, 2024, An advantage.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300289