The massive Ichthyosaur lived in the Late Triassic era and may have reached lengths of up to 80 feet (25 metres).
According to a recent study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, an Ichthyosaur species that was just discovered might be the largest marine reptile ever discovered.
The study, carried out by Dean R Lomax and colleagues at the Universities of Bristol and Manchester in the United Kingdom, offers important new perspectives on the characteristics of marine life in the prehistoric era.
An Ichthyosaur jawbone from Somerset, UK’s Westbury Mudstone Formation was found and stitched together by Lomax and his research team over the previous few years, according to SciTech Daily.
The researchers now believe that the two jawbones belong to a species of Ichthyosaur, a massive group of reptiles from the age of the dinosaurs that were previously unidentified.
The new bone resembled another one that was taken from the same rock formation only a few miles away in terms of size and shape.
The new species, Ichthyotitan severnensis, may have been as long as a city bus, measuring up to 25 metres (82 ft).
Nevertheless, given that the new species is only being identified by a small number of bone fragments, the study authors emphasise that more paleontological evidence is needed to confirm just how large I. severnensis possibly was.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
