A new study sheds light on mysterious giant bone fossils! Turns out, they belonged to a massive marine reptile called the Ichthyosaur.
, large, cylindrical bone fragments unearthed across Western and Central Europe. The identity of the creature these belonged to remained a subject of heated debate. However, aby researchers at the University of Bonn sheds light on this long-standing mystery, revealing the culprit to be a colossal marine predator – the ichthyosaur.
The story began in 1850 when British naturalist Samuel Stutchbury reported a curious discovery in a scientific journal. He described a large, cylindrical bone fragment from Aust Cliff, a fossil deposit near Bristol. Similar fragments surfaced in various locations throughout Europe, including Bonenburg in Germany and the Provence region of France. These findings date back to over 200 million years ago when these regions were submerged beneath a vast ocean.
Perillo meticulously compared bone samples from England, France, and Bonenburg. All exhibited a unique combination of features, hinting at a shared ancestry. He then employed a specialized microscope to examine the bone wall, revealing an exceptional structure: interwoven strands of mineralized collagen, a protein fiber, arranged in a pattern unseen in other bones.Intriguingly, fossils of colossal ichthyosaurs from Canada displayed a remarkably similar bone wall structure.
The fossils most likely originated from the lower jaw of a marine behemoth. By comparing the fragment size with known jaw dimensions of other ichthyosaurs, researchers estimated the creatures’ potential length to be a staggering 25-30 meters, aligning with earlier speculations by proponents of the ichthyosaur theory. “This is merely an estimate and a definitive answer hinges on the discovery of more complete fossil remains,” cautions Perillo.
The unique structure of their bone walls, akin to carbon fiber-reinforced materials, likely offered exceptional stability while enabling rapid growth. “These enormous jaws would have endured immense shearing forces even during regular feeding,” suggests Perillo. “It’s possible they also utilized their snouts to ram prey, similar to modern orcas. However, this remains speculative for now.
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