A girl and her father discover the remains of a giant prehistoric animal in England.

“I am very proud to have played a role in such a scientific discovery.”– Ruby was happy. This English teenager was 11 years old when she and her father discovered the fossilized remains of a giant marine reptile. Research related to this discovery, carried out on a beach in Somerset in May 2020, was published on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in a scientific journal. Plos One as reported SkyNews in an article submitted BFMTV .

The fossil, found in southwest England, is likely to be a prehistoric ichthyosaur more than 200 million years old. Experts estimate the creature would have been over 25 meters long, potentially making it the largest marine reptile ever recorded. It was named “Ichthyotitan severnensis”, which means “giant Severn fish lizard”.

Rare opportunity

At this time, father and daughter contacted D.^R Dean Lomax, paleontologist at the University of Manchester. The latter informed them that in 2016, the collector Paul de la Salle discovered the first ichthyosaur fossil on the same coast. “We hoped that one day another specimen would be discovered.”Dean Lomax said.

According to our colleagues, Justin and Ruby were invited to join the research team to study and describe the fossil, a rare opportunity for amateurs. It was this collaboration that led to the publication of their work in the journal. Plos Onewhich marked young Ruby’s entry into the world of scientific research. “Probably not many 15-year-olds can say that.”– the doctor congratulated.