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Questions and Answers
What enabled Lomax and his team to confirm that both giant bones belonged to the same species?
What enabled Lomax and his team to confirm that both giant bones belonged to the same species?
What is the name of the newly described creature?
What is the name of the newly described creature?
Why was the creature named Ichthyotitan severensis?
Why was the creature named Ichthyotitan severensis?
Which period did the new fossil come from?
Which period did the new fossil come from?
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What part of the animal was the reptile Ichthyotitan known from?
What part of the animal was the reptile Ichthyotitan known from?
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Why is the Triassic Period a black box for the ichthyosaur fossil record?
Why is the Triassic Period a black box for the ichthyosaur fossil record?
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What is the significance of the newly discovered species, Ichthyotitan severensis?
What is the significance of the newly discovered species, Ichthyotitan severensis?
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Why is the Triassic Period considered a black box for the ichthyosaur fossil record?
Why is the Triassic Period considered a black box for the ichthyosaur fossil record?
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What increases the likelihood that Ichthyotitan is an entirely new species?
What increases the likelihood that Ichthyotitan is an entirely new species?
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What part of the animal was Ichthyotitan known from?
What part of the animal was Ichthyotitan known from?
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What caution did the paleontologists express regarding the dimensions of Ichthyotitan?
What caution did the paleontologists express regarding the dimensions of Ichthyotitan?
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Why do scientists need more fossils to determine how Ichthyotitan differed from other ichthyosaurs?
Why do scientists need more fossils to determine how Ichthyotitan differed from other ichthyosaurs?
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Study Notes
Ichthyotitan Severensis Discovery
- The discovery of a second jaw piece confirms that the giant bones belong to the same enormous species, Ichthyotitan severensis.
- The creature's name refers to its apparent size and the River Severn Estuary, where the second jaw fragment was discovered.
Fossil Significance
- Ichthyotitan severensis is the first giant ichthyosaur discovered in the latest part of the Triassic Period.
- Prior to this discovery, giant ichthyosaurs were only found in older rocks in North America and Asia.
- The discovery of Ichthyotitan severensis provides a new picture of life during a time and in a part of the world where such giants haven't been found before.
Fossil Characteristics
- The jaw bones are six-foot-long, indicating the animal's enormous size.
- The reptile is only known from two bones that made up part of the lower jaw, called the surangular.
- More fossils are needed to determine exactly how Ichthyotitan differed from other ichthyosaurs.
Research and Publication
- The discovery is described in a new paper published in the journal PLOS ONE.
- Paleontologists sound a note of caution on the exact dimensions of Ichthyotitan due to the limited fossil evidence.
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Description
Learn about the discovery of the Ichthyotitan severensis fossils, a giant species with well-preserved jaw fragments found in the River Severn Estuary. Discover how scientists identified and named this enormous creature.
