VOA科学技术2014--Giant Ocean Reptile Discovered by Father, Daughter

An ancient fossil found by a girl and her father on a beach in England belongs to a creature that might have been among the largest animals ever on Earth.

Researchers said in a recent study that the fossilized bone, called a surangular, was from a reptile¹ called an ichthyosaur that lived in the sea. Based on its size, compared to the same bone in closely related ichthyosaurs, the researchers estimated that the creature was between 22 and 26 meters long. They named it Ichthyotitan severnensis.

That would make it possibly the largest known marine² reptile. Its size would be close to the largest whales alive today. The blue whale, considered the largest animal ever to have lived, can reach about 30 meters in length.

Marine reptiles³ lived in the world's oceans at the same time that dinosaurs⁴ lived on the land. Ichthyosaurs disappeared 90 million years ago. They came in several sizes. The creatures ate fish and other sea animals.

Ichthyotitan, however, is known only from two jawbones. The jaw⁵ forms the lower part of the mouth.

Ruby⁶ Reynolds and her father Justin Reynolds found one of the bones in 2020 at Blue Anchor in Somerset. The other bone is from a different Ichthyotitan individual found in 2016, along the Somerset coast at Lilstock.

Dean Lomax was the lead writer of the study published recently in PLOS ONE. Lomax said, "It is quite remarkable⁷ to think that gigantic, blue whale-sized ichthyosaurs were swimming in the oceans around the time that dinosaurs were walking on land in what is now the UK (Britain) during the Triassic Period."

The Triassic Period describes a time over 200 million years ago.

Ruby Reynolds was 11 at the time she and her father discovered the fossil surangular bone on the beach. Ruby continued to search the area and found a second piece - much larger than the first - partly buried in the ground. They then contacted Lomax, an ichthyosaur expert, and more parts of the bone were unearthed⁸.

Ruby's part in the discovery has led to comparisons with Mary Anning. Anning was a 19th century British fossil hunter who, among other things, discovered ichthyosaur fossils when she was 12.

"I think Mary Anning was an incredible paleontologist, and it's amazing to be compared to her," Ruby said.

Justin Reynolds added, "It has been an amazing...and fun experience to work with these experts, and we are proud to be part of the team and co-authors of a scientific paper which names a new species and genus."

Fossil collector Paul de la Salle found the 2016 remains⁹ now identified as Ichthyotitan.

The big marine reptile was a member of a family of giant ichthyosaurs called Shastasauridae. These creatures lived 13 million years later than other ichthyosaurs. They survived until a world-wide event caused many kinds of animals to disappear about 201 million years ago at the end of the Triassic Period.

No other fossils from Ichthyotitan have been discovered. But the researchers have been able to guess at its appearance based on other members of its family, including Shonisaurus from British Columbia, Canada.

Study co-writer Jimmy Waldron used the term humbled¹⁰ - meaning to be made to feel less important or proud - to describe the discoveries.

Waldron said, "Discoveries like this create incredible moments where we become humbled at our size and place in the world."

Words in This Story

fossil - n. the fossilized remains of a plant or animal that lived in the distant past

marine -- -adj. of or relating to the sea or the plants and animals that live in the sea

remarkable - adj. unusual or surprising; impressive

gigantic - adj. very large

paleontologist - n. the science that deals with the fossils of animals and plants that lived very long ago

species - n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants

genus - n. a group of related animals or plants that includes several or many different species

1 reptile   

n.爬行动物；两栖动物

参考例句：

• The frog is not a true reptile.青蛙并非真正的爬行动物。
• So you should not be surprised to see someone keep a reptile as a pet.所以，你不必惊奇有人养了一只爬行动物作为宠物。

2 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

3 reptiles   

n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Snakes and crocodiles are both reptiles. 蛇和鳄鱼都是爬行动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Birds, reptiles and insects come from eggs. 鸟类、爬虫及昆虫是卵生的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

6 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

7 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

8 unearthed   

出土的（考古）

参考例句：

• Many unearthed cultural relics are set forth in the exhibition hall. 展览馆里陈列着许多出土文物。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 humbled   

adj. 卑下的，谦逊的，粗陋的 vt. 使 ... 卑下，贬低

参考例句：

• The examination results humbled him. 考试成绩挫了他的傲气。
• I am sure millions of viewers were humbled by this story. 我相信数百万观众看了这个故事后都会感到自己的渺小。