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11h ago

New Dorset Ichthyosaur Named Xiphodracon Goldencapsis Refines Early Jurassic Timeline

The peer-reviewed description uses a rare Pliensbachian fossil to place the ichthyosaur faunal turnover earlier than previously inferred.

The ichthyosaur appears to suffered a bite wound to the head by a larger predator, and had malformed bones and teeth indicating serious injury or disease.
Two researchers pose next to a large fossil of a marine reptile with a pointed snout
190-Million-Year-Old “Sword Dragon Of Dorset” Likely The World’s Most Complete Pliensbachian Reptile

Overview

  • Researchers formally describe a near-complete ichthyosaur in Papers in Palaeontology, dating it to the Early Jurassic Pliensbachian about 186–184 million years ago.
  • The specimen features exceptional three-dimensional preservation of the skull with extensive postcranial remains, making it among the most complete reptiles known from this interval.
  • Distinctive anatomy includes a long, sword-like snout, large eyes, and a unique lacrimal bone with prong-like structures that diagnose the new taxon.
  • Pathologies show malformed limb bones and teeth consistent with chronic injury or disease, and a clear skull bite wound indicates a fatal attack by a larger predator, with any specific predator identification remaining unconfirmed.
  • Found near Golden Cap in 2001 by collector Chris Moore and acquired by the Royal Ontario Museum, the fossil is slated for public display at the museum.