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An Ichthyosaur’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day 160 million years ago
Scientific American • • science
Key Points:
- A fossilized ichthyosaur vertebra found off the coast of present-day Peterborough, England, shows a bite wound inflicted by a much larger pliosaurid, providing rare physical evidence of predation among prehistoric marine reptiles.
- The embedded broken pliosaurid tooth in the ichthyosaur bone was confirmed through CT scans and detailed imaging, indicating the tooth was lost during an attack rather than scavenging.
- The specimen, dating back to the Upper Jurassic period (163-145 million years ago), was rediscovered in an old museum drawer and its provenance was traced through Victorian fossil collectors' correspondence and museum records.
- This discovery offers a unique snapshot of violent predator-prey interactions in ancient seas and highlights the valuable scientific insights that can be gained from revisiting old museum collections.
- Experts caution that behavioral interpretations from fossils are challenging, but the evidence strongly suggests the bite was a fatal attack by a giant pliosaurid on the smaller ichthyosaur.
