Bob NichollsResearchers have finally discovered the true identity of a huge dinosaur skeleton which lived in the seas hundreds of millions of years ago.
The team at the University of Manchester has been looking at an ichthyosaur fossil which was found on the south-west of England’s Jurassic Coast in 2001, and have named it Xiphodracon, or “Sword Dragon”.
The marine reptile is believed to have lived between 193-184 million years ago, during the Pliensbachian era.
The University of Manchester described the Xiphodracon as “a missing piece” from the ichthyosaur evolutionary record.
“I remember seeing the skeleton for the first time in 2016,” said Dr Dean Lomax, from the University of Manchester.
“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.”
Dr Dean LomaxDr Lomax added: “This time is pretty crucial for ichthyosaurs as several families went extinct and new families emerged, yet Xiphodracon is something you might call a missing piece of the ichthyosaur puzzle.”
The skeleton, found near Golden Cap, Dorset, includes a skull with enormous eye socket and a long sword-like snout.
Scientists say the animal would have been about three metres long and would have eaten fish and squid.
It is believed to be the world’s most complete prehistoric reptile from the Pliensbachian period.
Unanswered questions
Professor Judy Massare, an Ichthyosaur expert from State University of New York, US, praised the update but said there are still questions around the ichthyosaur species.
“Thousands of complete or nearly complete ichthyosaur skeletons are known from before and after the Pliensbachian.
“Clearly, a major change in species diversity occurred sometime in the Pliensbachian.”
She added: “Xiphodracon helps to determine when the change occurred, but we still don’t know why.”
Dr Lomax, whose new book The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs has been endorsed by the Guns N’ Roses guitarist, Slash, said: “One of the coolest things about identifying a new species is that you get to name it.
“We opted for Xiphodracon because of the long, sword-like snout, and dracon in reference to ichthyosaurs being referred to as “sea dragons” for over 200 years,” he said.
He explained the “xipho” portion of the title has been taken from the Greek word for sword, xiphos, and “dracon” comes from the Greek and Latin word for dragon.