Fossil of giant, prehistoric marine reptile discovered on UK beach
Ruby Reynolds, 11, and her father, Justin, stumbled upon fragments of a massive jawbone at Blue Anchor Beach that were later assembled to more than two meters in length.
Turns out, it belonged to Ichthyotitan severnensis, a giant ichthyosaur that swam the oceans 202 million years ago.
An earlier, separate giant surangular was found in 2016 by another fossil hunter, and that specimen matched Ruby's discovery, helping scientists piece the story together.
What else do we know about the creature?
Scientists were able to recover most of the jaw and confirm it came from an ichthyosaur that was still growing when it died. This creature lived just before a huge extinction wiped out its kind.
Evidence from other ichthyosaurs suggests it may have been warm-blooded and its ability to give birth to live young made it a real ocean powerhouse, long before whales and other marine mammals evolved!
For young fossil fans, it's proof you never know what you might discover on your next beach walk.