Protoichthyosaurus

Protoichthyosaurus was first named in 1979 by Robert M. Appleby, but for a while scientists thought it was just a type of Ichthyosaurus. In 2017, a new study showed it was a separate genus.1

There are two species: P. prostaxalis, which could reach up to 4 metres long, and the smaller P. applebyi, which was at most 2 metres long.1

Its flippers had a special arrangement of wrist bones that helped scientists tell it apart from other ichthyosaurs.1

Protoichthyosaurus had a large, triangular bone in its upper jaw (the maxilla) that stuck out farther than its nasal bones, a unique feature.1

Many of the fossils come from the Charles Moore collection, which sometimes mixed bones from different animals together, making it tricky for scientists.1

Its teeth had deep grooves running down to the roots, and they were firmly anchored in the jaw.1