一个11岁的女孩和她的父亲在2020年发现化石,导致识别出一个82英尺长的巨型鱼, Ichthyotitan severnensis,来自三叠纪晚期. An 11-year-old girl and her dad found fossils in 2020 that led to identifying a giant 82-foot ichthyosaur, Ichthyotitan severnensis, from the Late Triassic period.

2020年,一个11岁女孩Ruby Reynolds和她的父亲在Somerset海滩发现了化石碎片,导致识别了Ichthyotitan的断肢动物,这是一种新品种的巨型白鲸,估计长82英尺,与蓝鲸相当。 An 11-year-old girl, Ruby Reynolds, and her father discovered fossil fragments on a Somerset beach in 2020, leading to the identification of Ichthyotitan severnensis, a new species of giant ichthyosaur estimated at 82 feet long—comparable to a blue whale. 该发现通过匹配2016年的化石而证实,揭示了来自后特里萨西克时期的大规模食肉动物,适应了公海旅行和食用鱼类和幼鼠。 The find, confirmed by matching a 2016 fossil, revealed a massive predator from the Late Triassic period, adapted for open-ocean travel and feeding on fish and cephalopods. 科学家说动物还在生长, 表明它可能达到更大的尺寸。 Scientists say the animal was still growing, suggesting it could have reached even greater size. 该发现发表在SPLOS COE上,它改变了对史前海洋生态系统的理解,并突显了萨默塞特海岸线富含化石的潜力。 The discovery, published in PLOS ONE, reshapes understanding of prehistoric marine ecosystems and highlights the fossil-rich potential of the Somerset coastline.