It was ten meters long and weighed tons: In Great Britain, researchers have uncovered an ichthyosaur fossil in a reservoir
It is initially an ordinary working day in February 2021 when Joe Davis, an employee of a British nature conservation organization, makes a special discovery during the routine drainage of a lagoon island: “My colleague thought that pipes protruded from the muddy ground,” says the 48-year-old . On closer inspection, Davis recognizes what looks like a giant jawbone at the bottom of the “Rutland Water” reservoir. “I called the county council and said, ‘I think I found a dinosaur.'” What Davis thought was a dinosaur was an ichthyosaur reptile, and it was now known to be a sensational find.
The find in the idyllic landscape of the English East Midlands is outstanding because of its size, but also because the skeleton of the prehistoric giant has been completely preserved. If you want to imagine the dimensions of the reptile, it is best to compare it to an English double-decker bus. Because such a size corresponds roughly to the Rutland ichthyosaur. It was ten meters long, its head weighed a ton – as much as a mini-cooper.
“It is a highly significant discovery, both nationally and internationally, but also for the people of Rutland and the surrounding area,” said University of Manchester paleontologist Dean Lomax, who led the excavation, on Monday.
After the ancient bones were found by chance, it took Lomax’s team around two weeks to uncover the fragile bones. “We were busy from sunrise to sunset. It was very hard work, ”said the scientist, recalling the excavations in late summer. But the effort was worth it. After all, you were able to recover the entire skeleton. “It’s the highlight of my career,” said Lomax. The scientists assume that the reptile lived around 180 million years ago.
In fact, this is not the first time ichthyosaur remains have been found in the Rutland reservoir area. Two incomplete and smaller specimens were discovered during construction in the 1970s. Anglian Water utility, which owns the area, said it is now looking for funding to display the remains of the latest find nearby. “We understand the importance to the local community,” said company boss Peter Simpson.
Ichthyosaurs are often referred to as swimming dinosaurs. Strictly speaking, these are not dinosaurs, but reptiles, which, like the famous prehistoric giants, became extinct millions of years ago. The giant animals, which had long been at the top of the food chain, had a streamlined, fish-like shape and looked like today’s dolphins. Unlike these, however, they became very large. It is believed that ichthyosaurs could reach a length of up to 20 meters.
The first complete skeleton of the group of animals, also known as sea dragons because of their large teeth and eyes, was discovered by the British fossil hunter Mary Anning in the south of England at the beginning of the 19th century. Since then she has been considered one of the first paleontologists. In her honor, Dean Lomax and Judy Massare from Brockport College named a newly discovered genus of the reptile “Ichthyosaurus anningae” in 2015. This was a great honor, said the Lomax at the time. Because Anning had “played such an important role in shaping the science of paleontology, especially in Great Britain”.
The ichthyosaur reptile that was found in the English East Midlands last year may be a genus called “Temnodontosaurus trigonodon”. However, should it turn out to be a previously unknown species, it could be named after its discoverer: Joe Davis. For the 48-year-old, however, a dream has already come true: “The find was absolutely fascinating” and it is great to imagine that this amazing creature once swam in a sea that existed where we live today.
