Remains of possibly largest marine reptile ever found on beach

By Stephen Beech via SWNS

Fossilized remains of what may be the largest known marine reptile that ever lived were found on a Somerset beach by a schoolgirl and her dad.

Father and daughter Justin and Ruby Reynolds made the "amazing" discovery while searching for fossils on Blue Anchor beach.

Ruby, then aged 11, found the first giant chunk of jawbone in May 2020.

Now aged 15, she is a proudly published science paper co-author.

Experts identified the fossils as coming from the jaws of a new species of ichthyosaur, a type of prehistoric marine reptile, that would have been more than 80 feet (25 meters) long - twice the length of a double-decker bus - and lived during the Late Triassic period over 200 million years ago.

Realizing they had discovered something significant, the Reynolds family contacted ichthyosaur expert, Dr. Dean Lomax, a paleontologist at The University of Manchester.

Dr. Lomax, who is also a Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, contacted Paul de la Salle, an experienced fossil collector who had found the first giant jawbone in May 2016 further along the Somerset coast at Lilstock.

Dr. Lomax said: “I was amazed by the find.

"In 2018, my team - including Paul de la Salle - studied and described Paul’s giant jawbone and we had 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 a surangular - that have a unique shape and structure.

"I became very excited, to say the least.”

Justin and Ruby, from Braunton, Devon, together with Paul, Dr. Lomax, and several family members, visited the site to hunt for more pieces of the rare discovery.

Over time, the team found additional pieces of the same jaw which fit together perfectly, like an ancient jigsaw.

Reynolds said: “When Ruby and I found the first two pieces we were very excited as we realized that this was something important and unusual.

"When I found the back part of the jaw, I was thrilled because that is one of the defining parts of Paul's earlier discovery.”

The last piece of bone was recovered in October 2022.

Dr. Lomax's research team established that the jaw bones belong to a new species of giant ichthyosaur that would have been about the size of a blue whale.

Comparing the two examples of the same bone with the same unique features from the same geologic time zone supports their identifications.

The team has called the new genus and species Ichthyotitan severnensis, meaning “giant fish lizard of the Severn.”

Dr. Lomax said the bones are around 202 million years old, dating to the end of the Triassic in a time known as the Rhaetian.

He said that during that period the gigantic ichthyosaurs swam the seas while dinosaurs walked on land.

Ichthyotitan is not the world’s first giant ichthyosaur, but experts say the Somerset discoveries are "unique" among those known to science.

The very first ichthyosaur brought to the attention of science was discovered in 1811 and 1812 by Mary Anning and Joseph Anning, in Lyme Regis, Dorset, along the Jurassic Coast.

Dr. Lomax said: “I was highly impressed that Ruby and Justin correctly identified the discovery as another enormous jawbone from an ichthyosaur.

"They recognized that it matched the one we described in 2018.

"I asked them whether they would like to join my team to study and describe this fossil, including naming it. They jumped at the chance.

"For Ruby, especially, she is now a published scientist who not only found but also helped to name a type of gigantic prehistoric reptile.

"There are probably not many 15-year-olds who can say that! A Mary Anning in the making, perhaps.”

Ruby said: “It was so cool to discover part of this gigantic ichthyosaur.

"I am very proud to have played a part in a scientific discovery like this.”

Further examinations of the bones’ internal structures were conducted by master’s student, Marcello Perillo.

His work at the University of Bonn in Germany confirmed the ichthyosaur origin of the bones and revealed that the animal was still growing at the time of death.

He said: “We could confirm the unique set of histological characters typical of giant ichthyosaur lower jaws: the anomalous periosteal growth of these bones hints at yet-to-be-understood bone developmental strategies, now lost in the deep time, that likely allowed late Triassic ichthyosaurs to reach the known biological limits of vertebrates in terms of size.

"So much about these giants is still shrouded by mystery, but one fossil at a time we will be able to unravel their secret.”

Paul de la Salle added: “To think that my discovery in 2016 would spark so much interest in these enormous creatures fills me with joy.

"When I found the first jawbone, I knew it was something special. To have a second that confirms our findings is incredible. I am overjoyed.”

Now Ruby, Justin and Paul’s discoveries are due to go on display at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.

Dr. Lomax added: “This research has been ongoing for almost eight years.

"It is quite remarkable to think that gigantic, blue whale-sized ichthyosaurs were swimming in the oceans around what was the UK during the Triassic Period.

"These jawbones provide tantalizing evidence that perhaps one day a complete skull or skeleton of one of these giants might be found. You never know.”

The findings were published in the journal PLoS One.