Ichthyotitan Severnensis Discovery: World’s Largest Marine Reptile Discovered by 11-Year-Old Girl in Somerset

Mumbai, March 5: A massive jawbone discovered by an 11-year-old girl and her father on a British beach has led to the identification of a new species of prehistoric marine giant. Researchers have named the creature Ichthyotitan severnensis, a colossal ichthyosaur that lived approximately 202 million years ago during the late Triassic period. Measuring an estimated 25 meters (82 feet) in length - roughly the size of a blue whale - it is now officially recognised as the largest marine reptile ever discovered.

A Chance Find at Blue Anchor by Ruby Reynolds

The discovery began in May 2020 when Ruby Reynolds, then 11, and her father, Justin Reynolds, were searching for fossils at Blue Anchor in Somerset. They first spotted a large chunk of bone embedded in the mud. Realising the scale of the find, they contacted Dr Dean Lomax, a world-renowned ichthyosaur expert and palaeontologist at the University of Manchester. Indonesian Reticulated Python ‘Ibu Baron’ Named World’s Longest Wild Snake by Guinness World Records (Watch Video).

Over the next few years, the family, along with fossil collectors and experts, recovered additional pieces of the same jawbone. The final piece was found in 2022. The bone, known as a surangular, measures over two meters long and belonged to a creature that would have dwarfed any other known marine reptile of its time.

The 'Severn Lizard Giant'

The newly named species, Ichthyotitan severnensis (meaning "giant fish lizard of the Severn"), belongs to a family of ichthyosaurs called shastasaurids. These creatures were fish-shaped reptiles that returned to the sea from land-dwelling ancestors. While some ichthyosaurs were the size of dolphins, Ichthyotitan represents the upper limit of vertebrate growth. This specific find is particularly significant because it dates to the very end of the Triassic period, just before a mass extinction event wiped out these giants. This suggests that ichthyosaurs continued to evolve and grow larger right up until their eventual disappearance from the fossil record.

Solving a Prehistoric Puzzle

The discovery provided the "missing piece" to a puzzle that began in 2016. At that time, fossil collector Paul de la Salle had found a similar, albeit isolated, giant jawbone at nearby Lilstock. Without a second specimen, scientists were hesitant to declare a new species. Ruby and Justin’s findings confirmed that the earlier discovery was not an anomaly. By comparing the two jawbones, the research team, led by Dr Lomax, was able to describe the new genus and species. The findings were recently published in the journal PLOS ONE, with Ruby and Justin Reynolds listed as co-authors - a rare honour for citizen scientists. The Biggest Crocodile Ever? Why the 20-Foot-Long River Nile Giant Gustave Still Haunts Africa.

The Legacy of Mary Anning

The discovery has drawn comparisons to the work of Mary Anning, the 19th-century palaeontologist who discovered the first complete ichthyosaur skeleton as a young girl. Dr Lomax noted that Ruby’s contribution is a reminder of how vital amateur fossil hunters and curious young minds are to the field of palaeontology. The fossilised remains of the Ichthyotitan jawbone are expected to go on public display at the Somerset County Museum. Scientists hope that further erosion of the Somerset cliffs will eventually reveal more of the skeleton, potentially providing further insight into the biology of these prehistoric leviathans.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 15, 2026 10:21 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).