In May 2020, Justin and Ruby Reynolds of Braunton found the fossilized remnants of a massive, almost two-meter-long jawbone on a Somerset beach.
jawbone while exploring the Blue Anchor beach for fossils.
The two then collaborated to look for further fragments and got in touch with University of Manchester palaeontologist Dr. Dean Lomax. He subsequently got in touch with veteran fossil hunter Paul de la Salle, who had discovered the first massive jawbone in May 2016 at Lilstock, farther down the shore.
The researchers, which included the father-daughter pair, discovered other pieces of the same jaw that fit together precisely throughout time.
Under the direction of Dr. Lomax, the scientists discovered that the jawbones belonged to a previously undiscovered enormous ichthyosaur species, roughly equivalent in size to a blue whale.
The researchers named this enormous fish lizard of the Severn as Ichthyotitan severnensis.
