恐龍卡第 0857 張，共 2 027 張

Ichthyotitan

名字的意思： “giant fish lizard of the Severn”1

吃：肉魚龍類三疊紀晚期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Ichthyotitan was one of the biggest marine reptiles that ever lived. It was a giant ichthyosaur, a fish-shaped reptile that swam in the seas during the time of the dinosaurs. Scientists think it could have been as long as a blue whale!2 1

趣味小知識：這種海生爬蟲類在海裡游泳的時候，恐龍正在陸地上走路。大家都叫牠們恐龍，但牠們其實是爬蟲類的另一個分支。

生存年代

206 到 201 百萬年前7

三疊紀晚期

化石發現地

Somerset, UK (Blue Anchor and Lilstock)2 1

長度

20 到 25 m (66 到 82 ft)2 1

最高速度

時速約 21 公里（13 英里）

游泳, 估計值

牠生活在什麼時候？

三疊紀

侏羅紀

白堊紀

2 億 5200 萬年前20114566，小行星撞地球

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

跟 6 台汽車排成一排一樣長跟 140 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長能在 8.6 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Ichthyotitan 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡算算數學。什麼都不會被儲存或傳送出去。

牠有多快？

走路的人 時速約 5 公里 (3 mph)

騎腳踏車的小朋友 時速約 12 公里 (7 mph)

Ichthyotitan 時速約 21 公里 (13 mph)

一匹飛奔的馬 時速約 65 公里 (40 mph)

一隻獵豹 時速約 100 公里 (62 mph)

酷東西

趣味知識

Ichthyotitan is known from only two jaw bones, called surangulars, found on the coast of Somerset, England.2 1

The larger jaw bone is over 2 metres long, which helped scientists estimate the whole animal was about 25 metres in length.2 1

Ichthyotitan lived at the very end of the Triassic Period, about 205 to 201 million years ago.3

It is the first giant ichthyosaur to be named from the Rhaetian stage of the Triassic.2 1

Ichthyotitan probably belongs to a group called shastasaurids, which includes some of the largest ichthyosaurs.2 1

The name Ichthyotitan means 'giant fish lizard', from Greek words for fish and giant, plus the Severn River estuary where the fossils were found.1

The jaw bones show unique features, like an upturned back end and a bulbous coronoid process, that set Ichthyotitan apart from other giant ichthyosaurs.1

Ichthyotitan 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Ichthyotitan 可能的樣子。這只是猜測：真正的動物可能長得不一樣，也沒有人知道牠真正的顏色。

你們都在問

關於 Ichthyotitan 最常被問的問題

?How big was Ichthyotitan?

Ichthyotitan was enormous, scientists estimate it reached about 25 metres long, which is about 5 metres shorter than a 30 metre blue whale. It is likely the largest marine reptile ever discovered.4 2

?Was Ichthyotitan a dinosaur?

No, Ichthyotitan was not a dinosaur. It was an ichthyosaur, a type of marine reptile that swam in the oceans at the same time as dinosaurs lived on land.5

?What did Ichthyotitan eat?

Scientists are not certain, but because Ichthyotitan was a shastasaurid ichthyosaur, it probably ate fish and squid. Its large size suggests it was a top predator in its ocean.6

?When did Ichthyotitan live?

Ichthyotitan lived at the very end of the Triassic Period, about 205 to 201 million years ago. It died out in the mass extinction that ended the Triassic.6 4

?Where was Ichthyotitan found?

Its fossils were found on the coast of Somerset, England, near the Severn Estuary. The first jaw bone was discovered by a father and his 11-year-old daughter in 2020.4 5

?How do scientists know how big Ichthyotitan was?

They compared its jaw bone (the surangular) to the same bone in other giant ichthyosaurs. The jaw is over 2 metres long, and scaling it up gives a body length of about 25 metres.2 6

?Could Ichthyotitan swim?

Yes, Ichthyotitan was a marine reptile that lived in the ocean and swam using its flippers and tail. It was built like a fish and was a fast, powerful swimmer.6

?Is Ichthyotitan bigger than a blue whale?

No, Ichthyotitan was about 25 metres long, while the biggest blue whales can reach about 30 metres. So Ichthyotitan was almost as big, but not quite as large as the largest blue whales.5

迷思破解王

迷思： Some people think Ichthyotitan was a dinosaur.

真相： Ichthyotitan was an ichthyosaur, a marine reptile that lived in the sea, not a dinosaur. Dinosaurs lived on land.2

給恐龍專家

學名: Ichthyotitan
命名者: Lomax et al. 20247
類群: 魚龍類
科 / 演化支: Shastasauridae7
分類: Ichthyosauria > Ichthyosauromorpha7
岩石的年代: 206 到 201 百萬年 (Rhaetian)7
岩層: Westbury7
國家: 英國7
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 1 筆7
發現: Ichthyotitan was named in 2024 by Lomax and colleagues based on a jaw bone found at Blue Anchor, Somerset, UK. A second jaw bone from Lilstock, found earlier in 2018, was also assigned to this species.2 1
仍有爭議: Scientists are not sure whether Ichthyotitan belongs to the shastasaurid family because the known fossils are too incomplete.2 1