Ichthyotitan
| Ichthyotitan Temporal range: Upper Triassic (Rhaetian), 205–202 Ma
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| Family: | †Shastasauridae (?)
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| Genus: | †Ichthyotitan Lomax et al., 2024
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| Species: | †I. severnensis
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| Ichthyotitan severnensis Lomax et al., 2024
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Ichthyotitan was a genus of gigantic shastasaurid ichthyosaur with two specimens from the uppermost Triassic Westbury Formation in Somerset, England and Blue Anchor, which is approximately 10 km west along the coast from Lilstock.[1] The only species in this genus is I. severnensis.
Discovery and naming
Lilstock specimen
BRSMG Cg2488, also called the "Lilstock specimen", was discovered in May 2016 by Paul de la Salle while discovering pieces of a giant bone in Somerset, and the specimen was around 205 million years ago, dating from the late Triassic period.[2]
Holotype specimen
The holotype was discovered in sediments of Blue Anchor, Somerset by 11-year-old girl Ruby Reynolds, while looking for fossils with her father, Justin Reynolds. Justin contacted Dean Lomax, who himself reached out to Paul de la Salle. The surangular came together from several chunks that, Lomax remembers, ''fit together perfectly like an ancient prehistoric jigsaw puzzle''. Ruby's discovery was eventually named as Ichthyotitan severnensis, meaning “giant fish lizard from the Severn".[3]
Description
Size estimates
Ichthyotitan was a big ichthyosaur, and the researchers estimated Lilstock specimen by comparing the surangular to the same bone in Shastasaurus, which suggested that it could have been larger than the blue whale, at a whopping 26 metres (85 ft) long. Researchers pointed out that, while the differences make these estimates speculative, they were conventional.[4]
The Aust specimens of this genus have been estimated to be even larger at 30 to 35 metres (98 to 115 ft) long.[5]
The jawbone
A large jawbone discovered on a beach in Somerset along the English coast belonged to the largest known ichthyosaur, Ichthyotitan.[6]
Paleoecology
Ichthyotitan was likely a predator, hunting smaller prey like an orca.
Possible remains
Other possible remains of giant ichthyosaurs that are a similar age to Ichthyotitan were found in Germany and France.[7] The Cuers specimen was originally described as shastasaurid-like, with flattened centra similar to Shonisaurus and Himalayasaurus.[8]
Gallery
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Size comparison with a diver for reference
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Localities where Ichthyotitan-affiliated specimens have been found around the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary
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Speculative life restoration
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Holotype BRSMG Cg3178
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References
- ↑ "The last giants: New evidence for giant Late Triassic (Rhaetian) ichthyosaurs from the UK". PLOS ONE.
- ↑ Lomax, Dean (10 April 2018). "How we found a giant ichthyosaur almost as big as a blue whale".
- ↑ Ralls, Eric. "Largest marine reptile ever known to exist was discovered by an 11-year-old girl". Earth.com.
- ↑ "Giant Triassic Ichthyosaur is One of Biggest Animals Ever | Paleontology | Sci-News.com". SciNews. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024.
- ↑ Michael, Marshall (29 December 2022). "Largest ever animal may have been Triassic ichthyosaur super-predator". NewsScientist. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024.
- ↑ Strickland, Ashley (17 April 2024). "Ancient fossils lead to discovery of largest known marine reptile". CNN. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024.
- ↑ "The dinosaurs that weren't: osteohistology supports giant ichthyosaur affinity of enigmatic large bone segments from the European Rhaetian". PeerJ.
- ↑ "Ichthyosaurs from the French Rhaetian indicate a severe turnover across the Triassic–Jurassic boundary" (PDF). Naturwissenschaften.
Other websites
Media related to Ichthyotitan at Wikimedia Commons