New Ichthyosaur Species Identified From Nottinghamshire Fossil
Posted on June 23, 2016
A new British species of ichthyosaur has been identified. The new species was identified by a Manchester palaeontologist from a 200-million-year-old fossil originally found in an old quarry in Nottinghamshire.
Dean Lomax, a palaeontologist and Honorary Scientist at The University of Manchester, examined the specimen after first seeing it on a visit to Leicester's New Walk Museum. The museum acquired the fossil in 1951. Lomax spotted some unusual features on the fossil. Lomax says the ichthyosaur carcass appears to have 'nosedived' into the seabed before it became fossilized.
Lomax says in a statement, "When I first saw this specimen, I knew it was unusual. It displays features in the bones - especially in the coracoid (part of the pectoral girdle) - that I had not seen before in Jurassic ichthyosaurs anywhere in the world. The specimen had never been published, so this rather unusual individual had been awaiting detailed examination."
The new species has been named Wahlisaurus massarae in honor of two palaeontologists (Judy Massare and Bill Wahl) who are expects on ichthyosaurs. The two professors also introduced Lomax to studying the ancient sea creatures.
A research paper on the study was published here in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.
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