The fossilized remains of a second giant jaw, more than two meters long, were found on a beach in Somerset, England. Experts determined that the bones belonged to the jaws of a new species of giant ichthyosaurs, a type of prehistoric marine reptile. According to rough estimates, the length of the ocean titan may exceed 25 meters.

Father and daughter Justin and Ruby Reynolds, from Braunton, Devon, found the first fragments of the second jawbone while searching for fossils on Somerset Blue Anchor beach in May 2020. Ruby, then 11, found the first piece of the giant bone before searching for more pieces together.

Realizing they had discovered something important, palaeontologist Dr. They contacted Dean Lomax. Dr. is also an 1851 Research Fellow at the University of Bristol. Lomax contacted experienced fossil collector Paul de la Salle, who found the first giant jawbone on the beach at Lillestock in May 2016.

Dr Dean Lomax said: “I was astounded by the discovery. In 2018 my team (including Paul de la Salle) examined and described Paul’s giant jaw and we hoped another would one day emerge. This new specimen is more complete, better preserved “And it shows that we now have two giant bones with a unique shape and structure called supraangular; I’m very excited to say the least.”

Justin and Ruby, Paul, Dr. He, along with Lomax and several family members, visited the site in search of more pieces of this rare find. Eventually, the team found additional pieces of the same jaw that fit together perfectly, like a million-year-old puzzle.

Justin said: “Ruby and I were so excited when we found the first two pieces because we knew it was something important and unusual. I was so excited when I found the back of the jaw because that was one of the defining parts of Paul’s preliminary discovery.”

The last bone fragment was found in October 2022.

A research team led by Lomax discovered that the jaw bones belong to a new species of giant ichthyosaur the size of a blue whale. Comparing two samples of the same bone with the same unique features from the same geological time period confirms their identity.

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

The bones are approximately 202 million years old and date to the end of the Triassic period, known as the Rhaetian period. During this time, giant ichthyosaurs swam the seas and dinosaurs walked on land. However, this was the last chapter of the titans, as the story told in the rocks on these fossils describes a catastrophic event known as the global mass extinction event in the Late Triassic period. After this date, giant ichthyosaurs belonging to the Shastasauridae family became extinct. Today, these bones are the last of their kind.

Although Ichthyotitan was not the world’s first giant ichthyosaur, de la Salle and Reynolds’ discoveries are unique among those known to science. These two bones appear about 13 million years after their most recent geological relatives, including Shonisaurus sikanniensis from British Columbia, Canada, and Himalayasaurus tibetensis from Tibet, China.

Dr Lomax added: “I was very impressed that Ruby and Justin correctly identified this discovery as another large ichthyosaur jawbone. They realized that it was the same as the one we described in 2018. They were given the opportunity to study and describe this fossil, including naming it.” I asked them if they would like to join my team and they took the opportunity.

“Especially for Ruby, she is now a published scientist who not only discovered but also helped name a species of giant prehistoric reptile. Probably most 15 year olds can’t say that! Maybe Mary Anning is on stage.”

Ruby said: “It was great to discover some of this giant ichthyosaur. I’m so proud to have played a part in such a scientific discovery.”

Further studies of the internal structure of the bones were carried out by graduate student Marcello Perillo from the University of Bonn, Germany. His study confirmed the source of the ichthyosaur bones and found that the animal was still growing at the time of death.

He said: “We can confirm a unique set of histological features specific to the mandibles of giant ichthyosaurs: Abnormal periosteal growth of these bones points to as yet ununderstood bone developmental strategies that were currently lost in the Deep Age, and is likely to indicate that Late Triassic ichthyosaurs were likely to be above the known biological limits of vertebrate size in terms of size.” “Even though they were allowed to move beyond, much about these giants is still shrouded in mystery, but we can unlock their secrets one fossil at a time.”

Concluding, Paul de la Salle added: “I am delighted that my discovery in 2016 will spark so much interest in these gigantic creatures. When I found the first chin I knew it was something special. Having a friend is incredibly validating for our discoveries. I’m so happy”.

The new study was published today in an open-access journal PLOS ONE.

Lomax said: “These studies have been going on for almost eight years. It’s quite surprising to think that giant ichthyosaurs the size of blue whales swam in the oceans around Great Britain during the Triassic. These jawbones are impressive evidence that a complete skull or skeleton of one of these giants may one day be found.