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Ichthyotitan
Ichthyotitan (/ˌɪkθiəˈtaɪtən/ IK-thee-ə-TY-tən) is an extinct genus of giant ichthyosaur from the Late Triassic (Rhaetian), known from the Westbury Mudstone Formation in Somerset, England. It is believed to be a shastasaurid, extending the family's range by 13 million years up to the latest Triassic. The discovery of Ichthyotitan has been considered evidence that shastasaurids were still thriving until their disappearance in the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event.
The genus contains a single species, I. severnensis. It is known from two fragmentary surangular bones of the lower jaw, discovered in separate places in 2016 and 2020. Other specimens throughout Western Europe have been linked to the species based on similar osteological features, although their affiliation is uncertain. Estimates scaling up the bones from other ichthyosaur species put Ichthyotitan's body length at nearly 25 metres (82 ft), which would make it the largest marine reptile currently known.
The first specimen later referred to Ichthyotitan, BRSMG Cg2488 (the "Lilstock specimen"), was found in 2016 by researcher and fossil collector Paul de la Salle in the Westbury Formation. It consists of a partial left surangular measuring 96 centimetres (3.15 ft) long. In 2018, Dean Lomax, Paul de la Salle, Judy Massare, and Ramues Gallois identified the Lilstock specimen as belonging to a shastasaurid. This also prompted the authors to reinterpret large bones in nearby Aust Cliff, previously considered to be from large terrestrial archosaurs, as possible giant ichthyosaur fragments from the surangular, hyoid or other jaw bones.
Another smaller jaw fragment from a giant ichthyosaur is known from Lilstock; it is stored in a private collection and still remains undescribed.
The Ichthyotitan holotype specimen, BRSMG Cg3178 (the "BAS specimen"), was discovered in sediments of the Westbury Formation near Blue Anchor in Somerset. The first fragment was found on 28 May 2020 by 11-year-old Ruby Reynolds, while looking for fossils on the beach at Blue Anchor with her father, fossil collector Justin Reynolds. They contacted researcher Dean Lomax, who himself reached out to Paul de la Salle. Subsequent expeditions were led by the team, revealing additional pieces until 16 October 2022, and known parts of the surangular, a lower jaw-bone, were reassembled in that same year. While incomplete, the surangular, an element representing only part of the entire lower jaw length, has been estimated to have measured more than 2 metres (6.6 ft) in total.
The specimen consists of fragments of a right surangular, more complete than the Lilstock specimen, with some fragments possibly belonging to the angular bone. Histological features suggest that the specimen was still growing, so was either a subadult or a young adult. Multiple encrusting organisms, including bivalves, are present, as well as possible signs of scavenging. It is scheduled to be displayed at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.
Other fragmentary remains were discovered but not identified with the holotype specimen, including two large rib sections from another potential giant ichthyosaur, found at a higher stratigraphic level.
In 2024, Lomax et al. described Ichthyotitan severnensis as a new genus and species of probable shastasaurid ichthyosaur based on BRSMG Cg3178 and BRSMG Cg2488. The generic name, Ichthyotitan, combines a reference to ichthyosaurs—meaning "fish lizard", derived from the Greek word ἰχθύς (ikhthús), meaning "fish"—with the Greek suffix -τιτάν (-titan), meaning "giant". The specific name, severnensis, references the Severn Estuary near the type locality.
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Ichthyotitan
Ichthyotitan (/ˌɪkθiəˈtaɪtən/ IK-thee-ə-TY-tən) is an extinct genus of giant ichthyosaur from the Late Triassic (Rhaetian), known from the Westbury Mudstone Formation in Somerset, England. It is believed to be a shastasaurid, extending the family's range by 13 million years up to the latest Triassic. The discovery of Ichthyotitan has been considered evidence that shastasaurids were still thriving until their disappearance in the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event.
The genus contains a single species, I. severnensis. It is known from two fragmentary surangular bones of the lower jaw, discovered in separate places in 2016 and 2020. Other specimens throughout Western Europe have been linked to the species based on similar osteological features, although their affiliation is uncertain. Estimates scaling up the bones from other ichthyosaur species put Ichthyotitan's body length at nearly 25 metres (82 ft), which would make it the largest marine reptile currently known.
The first specimen later referred to Ichthyotitan, BRSMG Cg2488 (the "Lilstock specimen"), was found in 2016 by researcher and fossil collector Paul de la Salle in the Westbury Formation. It consists of a partial left surangular measuring 96 centimetres (3.15 ft) long. In 2018, Dean Lomax, Paul de la Salle, Judy Massare, and Ramues Gallois identified the Lilstock specimen as belonging to a shastasaurid. This also prompted the authors to reinterpret large bones in nearby Aust Cliff, previously considered to be from large terrestrial archosaurs, as possible giant ichthyosaur fragments from the surangular, hyoid or other jaw bones.
Another smaller jaw fragment from a giant ichthyosaur is known from Lilstock; it is stored in a private collection and still remains undescribed.
The Ichthyotitan holotype specimen, BRSMG Cg3178 (the "BAS specimen"), was discovered in sediments of the Westbury Formation near Blue Anchor in Somerset. The first fragment was found on 28 May 2020 by 11-year-old Ruby Reynolds, while looking for fossils on the beach at Blue Anchor with her father, fossil collector Justin Reynolds. They contacted researcher Dean Lomax, who himself reached out to Paul de la Salle. Subsequent expeditions were led by the team, revealing additional pieces until 16 October 2022, and known parts of the surangular, a lower jaw-bone, were reassembled in that same year. While incomplete, the surangular, an element representing only part of the entire lower jaw length, has been estimated to have measured more than 2 metres (6.6 ft) in total.
The specimen consists of fragments of a right surangular, more complete than the Lilstock specimen, with some fragments possibly belonging to the angular bone. Histological features suggest that the specimen was still growing, so was either a subadult or a young adult. Multiple encrusting organisms, including bivalves, are present, as well as possible signs of scavenging. It is scheduled to be displayed at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.
Other fragmentary remains were discovered but not identified with the holotype specimen, including two large rib sections from another potential giant ichthyosaur, found at a higher stratigraphic level.
In 2024, Lomax et al. described Ichthyotitan severnensis as a new genus and species of probable shastasaurid ichthyosaur based on BRSMG Cg3178 and BRSMG Cg2488. The generic name, Ichthyotitan, combines a reference to ichthyosaurs—meaning "fish lizard", derived from the Greek word ἰχθύς (ikhthús), meaning "fish"—with the Greek suffix -τιτάν (-titan), meaning "giant". The specific name, severnensis, references the Severn Estuary near the type locality.