Fossil Discovery: 11-Year-Old Girl Unveils Giant Marine Reptile
Ruby Reynolds’ Jaw-Dropping Discovery
FOSSILS found by an 11-year-old girl on a beach in Somerset belonged to one of the largest marine reptiles ever, experts believe.
The Fascinating Ichthyosaur: A Giant Among Marine Reptiles
FOSSILS found by an 11-year-old girl on a beach in Somerset belonged to one of the largest marine reptiles ever, experts believe. Ruby Reynolds – now 15 – stumbled across fossilized remains of a gigantic jawbone measuring more than two meters in 2020.
Ruby’s Remarkable Find
Stumbling Upon a Prehistoric Giant
She and her father, Justin Reynolds, stumbled across the piece while fossil hunting at the seaside village Blue Anchor. Palaeontologists say the pieces are from a type of ocean-going reptile called an ichthyosaur and estimate it was around 25 meters in length, the size of two buses.
Unveiling A Giant From The Past
An Exciting Scientific Discovery
“That’s also about as long as a blue whale, which would make it among the largest marine reptiles ever recorded.” The prehistoric creature roamed the seas around 202 million years ago in the age of the dinosaur. Another piece was previously found by fossil hunter Paul de la Salle in 2016 along the Somerset coast at Lilstock which was already being studied.
The Moment of Astonishment
A Thrilling Journey of Discovery
“When Ruby and I found the first two pieces we were very excited as we realized that this was something important and unusual,” Mr. Reynolds said. “When I found the back part of the jaw, I was thrilled because that is one of the defining parts of Paul’s earlier discovery.”
Scientific Collaboration
An Encounter with History
Ruby added: “It was so cool to discover part of this gigantic ichthyosaur. I am very proud to have played a part in a scientific discovery like this.” The pair contacted Dr. Dean Lomax, a paleontologist at The University of Manchester, after finding the haul of fossils.
Naming a Historic Creature
Experts have named the creature Ichthyotitan severnensis, which means giant fish lizard of the Severn.
Revealing The Past With Modern Science
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Exploring The Uncharted Territory
Dr. Lomax said: “I was amazed by the find. In 2018, my team (including Paul de la Salle) studied and described Paul’s giant jawbone and we had hoped that one day another would come to light.”
A Young Scientist’s Dream
“I became very excited, to say the least.” He added: “I was highly impressed that Ruby and Justin correctly identified the discovery as another enormous jawbone from an ichthyosaur.”
The Legacy of a Young Explorer
“They recognized that it matched the one we described in 2018. I asked them whether they would like to join my team to study and describe this fossil, including naming it.”
A Bright Future in Science
“They jumped at the chance. For Ruby, especially, she is now a published scientist who not only found but also helped to name a type of gigantic prehistoric reptile.”
A Bridge Between Past and Present
“There are probably not many 15-year-olds who can say that. A Mary Anning in the making, perhaps.”
The Journey Continues
The new research is published in the journal Plos One.
Exploring The Roots of Extinction
Why did the dinosaurs die out?
Scientists generally believe that a massive comet or asteroid around 9 miles wide crashed into Earth, devastating the planet. This impact is said to have sparked a lingering “impact winter”, severely harming plant life and the food chain that relied on it.