A father and daughter from Devon have discovered what could be part of the largest known marine reptile.
Justin and Ruby Reynolds, from Braunton, discovered the fossilized remains of a massive jawbone more than two meters long on a beach in the US. somerset May 2020.
The bones belong to the lower jaw of a giant ichthyosaur, a prehistoric marine reptile.
Illustration of a pair of giant Severn fish titans swimming. Image: PA
Experts estimate the giant creature was more than 25m long, making it possibly the largest marine reptile ever recorded.
Putting the reptiles together
Mr Reynolds and Ruby, then 11, were searching for fossils at Blue Anchor Beach when they discovered the first fragment of the second jaw.
The pair then searched for more fragments and contacted Dr. Dean Lomax, a paleontologist at the University of Manchester. He then contacted experienced fossil collector Paul de la Salle, who discovered the first massive jawbone off the coast of Lilstock in May 2016.
Over time, the team, including the father-daughter pair, discovered more fragments of the same jaw that fit together perfectly.
The last piece was discovered in October 2022.
New species about the size of a blue whale
Led by Dr. Lomax, the researchers discovered that the jaws belonged to a new species of giant ichthyosaur, about the size of a blue whale.
The team named the creature Ichthyotitan severnensis, meaning giant fish lizard of the Severn River.
Dr. Dean Lomax, Ruby Reynolds, Justin Reynolds and Paul De La Salle. Image: PA
The bones date back to the Rhaetian period at the end of the Triassic period, about 202 million years ago.
During this time, giant ichthyosaurs swam in the oceans and dinosaurs walked the land.
But rock and fossil records indicate that giant ichthyosaurs became extinct following a global mass extinction event in the Late Triassic, meaning the bones found in the study represent the last of the species.
Mr Reynolds said: “When Ruby and I discovered the first two pieces we were very excited because we realized they were something important and unusual.
“I was excited when I discovered the back of the jaw because it was one of the defining parts of Paul’s early discoveries.”
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Ruby added: “It’s so cool to discover part of this giant ichthyosaur. I’m proud to be part of a scientific discovery like this.”
Dr Lomax said: “I was surprised by this discovery. In 2018 my team, including Paul De La Salle, studied and characterized Paul’s massive jaw, which we had hoped would one day be discovered.
“This new specimen is more complete, better preserved, and shows that we now have two massive bones – called supra-bones – with unique shapes and structures.
“I became very excited, to say the least.”
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He added: “I’m impressed that Ruby and Justin correctly identified this find as another massive jawbone from an ichthyosaur.
“They recognized that it matched a fossil we described in 2018. I asked them if they would join my team to study and describe this fossil, including naming it.
“They jumped at the chance. Especially for Ruby, who is now a published scientist who not only discovered a giant prehistoric reptile but helped name it.”
He added: “There probably aren’t many 15-year-olds who can say that. Maybe Mary Anning was growing up.”
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