New Ichthyosaur Species Discovered in England
University of Manchester paleontologist Dean Lomax and his colleagues have identified a new genus and species of leptonectid ichthyosaur from a fossilized specimen found in Dorset, England.
The nearly complete skeleton of a dolphin-sized ichthyosaur was found near Golden Cap in 2001 by Dorset fossil collector Chris Moore. The specimen includes a skull with an enormous eye socket and a long sword-like snout, and represents a new genus and species.
The fossil dates back to the Pliensbachian age of the Early Jurassic, between 193 and 184 million years ago.
I remember seeing the skeleton for the first time in 2016. Back then, I knew it was unusual, but I did not expect it to play such a pivotal role in helping to fill a gap in our understanding of a complex faunal turnover during the Pliensbachian, said Dr. Dean Lomax.
Author's summary: New ichthyosaur species found in England.