LONDON: A skeleton discovered on Britain’s Jurassic Coast has been officially identified as a completely new species of ichthyosaur.
This prehistoric marine reptile has been named Xiphodracon goldencapensis, meaning the “Sword Dragon of Dorset”.
The creature was comparable in size to a modern dolphin and represents a significant paleontological discovery.
University of Manchester researchers confirmed this is the only known example of its kind currently in existence.
The finding helps fill an important gap in the evolutionary fossil record of ichthyosaurs according to scientific analysis.
Ichthyosaur expert Dean Lomax led the three-person team of paleontologists who conducted the detailed study.
These marine reptiles spent their entire lives underwater and are not classified as dinosaurs.
The sword dragon species dates back approximately 190 million years to the Pliensbachian period.
Researchers discovered the near-complete skeleton near Golden Cap in Dorset back in 2001.
Scientific analysis of the remarkable fossil has only recently been completed by specialists.
The preserved skeleton includes a complete skull featuring an enormous eye socket and distinctive long sword-like snout.
Scientists estimate the animal would have measured about three metres in length during its lifetime.
This marine predator would have primarily fed on fish and squid according to research findings.
The formal research paper announcing the discovery was published in the Papers in Palaeontology journal.
The significant skeleton is scheduled for public display at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada. – AFP
