A new species of marine lizard has been discovered

An international team of palaeontologists from Switzerland and Germany has described a new species of ancient marine reptile, Ichthyosaurus, discovered in the Mistelgau clay quarry in Upper Franconia (Bavaria). The scientific study is published in the journal Fossil Record

The new species was given the name Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis in honour of the find site. As Gael Spischer, the lead author of the study and PhD student at the JURASSICA Museum, explains, "We wanted to emphasise the scientific importance of the Mistelgau location".

Systematic excavations in the area have been carried out since 1998 under the direction of the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken in Bayreuth. It was this institution that preserved, prepared and handed over the specimens to palaeontologists for further study. One of the specimens was found in the so-called "belemnite battlefield" - dense clusters of remains of extinct cephalopod molluscs characteristic of the area.

Ichthyosaurs - marine reptiles that lived during the time of the dinosaurs - resembled modern dolphins or tuna. A representative of the new species was characterised by an elongated upper jaw, giving it a pronounced "overbite" similar to a modern swordfish.

However, Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis stands out among other known representatives of the genus Eurhinosaurus by its particularly robust ribs, as well as features in the structure of the articulation between the skull and neck.

"The description of the new species underlines the importance of the collections of the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken for the study of Jurassic marine ecosystems," said museum director Dr Serjoscha Evers, who was not involved in the study.

Scientists continue to work with materials from Mistelgau. In particular, they plan to analyse trauma traces preserved in the skeletons of ichthyosaurs. This data will help to better understand the behaviour, ecology and lifestyle of ancient marine reptiles.

As the researchers emphasise, quarries like Mistelgau provide a rare opportunity to peer into poorly understood parts of Earth's history - in this case, the marine life of the early Jurassic period some 180 million years ago.