New species of ‘sword dragon’ reptile named after fossil discovered in UK
A skeleton discovered on Dorset’s Jurassic coast has been identified as a new species of prehistoric marine reptiles that once dominated the oceans.
The dolphin-sized ichthyosaur, called Xiphodracon Goldencapensis or “Sword Dragon of Dorset”, is the only known example of its kind.
Thousands of ichthyosaur fossils have been found along the Jurassic Coast, but scientists say this fossil helps fill an evolutionary gap.
First discovered in 2001 by a prolific fossil hunter at Golden Cap in Dorset, the new ichthyosaur skeleton was later acquired by a museum in Canada.
Experts have now analyzed the skeleton and published a paper identifying it as a new species of ichthyosaur.
The skeleton features a skull with massive eye sockets and a long, sword-like snout.
The marine reptile is thought to be about three meters long and eats fish and squid. Even traces of his last meal can be seen in the ruins.
Co-author and ichthyosaur expert Dr. from the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart. Erin Maxwell said: “This skeleton provides critical information for understanding ichthyosaur evolution, as well as contributing to our understanding of what life must have been like in Britain’s Jurassic seas.”
He explained that the skeleton even provides clues as to how the reptile lived and died.
Dr Maxwell added: “The limb bones and teeth are malformed, indicating serious injury or disease while the animal was still alive, and the skull appears to have been bitten off by a large predator (possibly a much larger ichthyosaur species), giving us the cause of death for this individual. Life in the Mesozoic oceans was a dangerous prospect.”
Because Ichthyosaurs spent their lives in water, they are classified as marine reptiles, not dinosaurs.
This particular ichthyosaur is thought to have swam the seas about 185 million years ago, a period when very few ichthyosaur fossils have been found.
The author of the recently published book, Dr. lomax The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs“One of the great things about describing a new species is that you can name it. We chose ‘Xiphodracon’ because of its long, sword-like snout (xipho, from the Greek xiphos, meaning sword) and dracon (Greek and Latin for dragon), a reference to the fact that ichthyosaurs have been called ‘sea dragons’ for over 200 years,” he said.
The new research was published Friday in the international journal. Paleontology Articles. The skeleton is planned to be exhibited at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada.
