Father and daughter from Devon have discovered part of what could be the largest known marine reptile.
Justin and Ruby Reynolds, from Braunton, discovered the fossilized remains of a gigantic jaw measuring more than two meters long on a beach in Somerset in May 2020.
The bones belong to the jaws of a species of enormous ichthyosaur, a type of prehistoric marine reptile.
Experts estimate the giant creature would be more than 25 meters long – making it possibly the largest marine reptile ever recorded.
Joining the reptile
Reynolds and Ruby, then 11, found the first pieces of the second jaw while looking for fossils on the beach at Blue Anchor.
The pair then searched together for more pieces and contacted Dr Dean Lomax, a paleontologist at the University of Manchester. He then contacted Paul de la Salle, an experienced fossil collector who found the first giant jawbone in May 2016, along the coast of Lilstock.
Over time, the team – including the father and daughter duo – found more pieces of the same jaw that fit together perfectly.
The last piece was discovered in October 2022.
New species the size of a blue whale
Led by Dr. Lomax, researchers revealed that the jaws belong to a new species of giant ichthyosaur that would be approximately the size of a blue whale.
The team named the creature Ichthyotitan severnensis, which means Severn giant lizard fish.
Dr. Dean Lomax, Ruby Reynolds, Justin Reynolds, and Paul de la Salle. Photo: PA
Dating from the end of the Triassic period, in a time known as the Rhaetian, the bones are around 202 million years old.
Giant ichthyosaurs swam the seas at this time, while dinosaurs walked the land.
But the rock and fossil records suggest that after the Late Triassic global mass extinction event, giant ichthyosaurs went extinct, meaning the bones discovered in the study represent the last of their species.
Reynolds said: “When Ruby and I found the first two pieces, we were very excited to realize that this was something important and unusual.
“When I found the back of the jaw, I was thrilled because that is one of the defining parts of Paul’s previous discovery.”
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Ruby added: “It was really cool to discover part of this giant ichthyosaur. I am very proud to have participated in a scientific discovery like this.”
Lomax said: “I was amazed by the discovery. In 2018, my team, including Paul de la Salle, studied and described Paul’s giant jaw and we hoped that one day another would come to light.
“This new specimen is more complete, better preserved and shows that we now have two of these giant bones – called surangulars – that have a unique shape and structure.
“I was very excited, to say the least.”
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He added: “I was very impressed that Ruby and Justin correctly identified the find as another huge ichthyosaur jaw.
“They recognized that it matched what we described in 2018. I asked them if they would like to join my team to study and describe this fossil, including naming it.
“They jumped at the chance. Especially for Ruby, she is now a published scientist who not only found but also helped name a type of gigantic prehistoric reptile.”
He added: “There probably aren’t many 15-year-olds who can say that. A Mary Anning in the making, perhaps.”
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