Paleontologists may have solved 150-year-old bone mystery

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Several huge, fossilized bones that have mystified paleontologists for years have been suggested to belong to an enormous species of ichthyosaur.

The bones, discovered at several locations across Western and Central Europe since the 19th century, have been subject to debate among researchers, with paleontologists being unsure exactly to which species they belonged.

Now, according to new research published in the journal PeerJ, these bones may finally have been identified as having come from the lower jaw of a huge sea creature, measuring between 82 and 98 feet long.

An artist's impression of an ichthyosaur (main) and the bone fragments found in ocean sediment in various places around Europe (inset). The species that these bones belonged to was unclear for decades, but a new... Marcello Perillo/University of Bonn

The first of these bones was discovered in 1850 in a fossil deposit in the U.K. named Aust Cliff, and appeared to be a large cylinder-shaped fragment. Subsequent similar bone fragments were found scattered across Europe, including in France's Provence and North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, and were thought to be from the same type of mystery creature that lived around 200 million years ago.

Some paleontologists suggested that these fragments may have come from a crocodile-like creature called labyrinthodontia, while others posited that they may be from stegosaurs, long-necked sauropods like diplodocus, or even a totally unknown class of dinosaurs.

"Already by the beginning of the 20th century, some other researchers had theorized that the fossils could possibly be from a gigantic ichthyosaur," Marcello Perillo, a master's researcher in the Institute of Geosciences at the University of Bonn in Germany, said in a statement.

"Bones of similar species generally have a similar structure," he said. "Osteohistology—the analysis of bone tissue—can thus be used to draw conclusions about the animal group from which the find originates."

Now, Perillo and other researchers from the University of Bonn have discovered that the bones may in fact be from an ancient ichthyosaur.

Ichthyosaurs were a large group of ancient sea reptiles that lived during the Mesozoic Era, specifically from the Early Triassic to the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 90 to 250 million years ago. These creatures had streamlined bodies similar to modern dolphins or sharks, with long, toothed jaws and large eyes, and limbs modified into flippers to aid in swimming.

The exact cause of their extinction is still debated among scientists, but factors such as climate change, competition with other marine predators, and possibly the effects of the mass extinction event that ended the Mesozoic Era likely played a role.

"I compared specimens from southwest England, France and Bonenburg [Germany]," Perillo said. "They all displayed a very specific combination of properties. This discovery indicated that they might come from the same animal group."

He then found that the bone wall contained long strands of fossilized collagen, which is a protein that is found in our skin. These fibers were found to be interwoven together in a way not seen in other bones other than those from ancient ichthyosaurs that lived near Canada.

"However, this structure is not found in fossil samples from other animal groups that I have studied," Perillo explained. "Therefore, it seems highly probable that the fragments in question also belong to an ichthyosaur and that the findings refute the claim that the bones come from a land-living dinosaur."

Images of researchers examining the bones and closeups of the fossils. The researchers were able to remove pieces of the bone without destroying the valuable fossils. The resulting thin cross-sections of bone make it possible... Deborah Hutchinson/ Bristol Museum and Art Gallery

This collagen interweaving is theorized to have kept the bone incredibly stable and strong, similar to how carbon fibers reinforce metals.

"These huge jaws would have been exposed to strong shearing forces even when the animal was eating normally," said Perillo. "It is possible that these animals also used their snouts to ram into their prey, similar to the orcas of today. However, this is still pure speculation at this time."

The bone fragments are now thought to be from the lower jaw of these ancient sea creatures, which are estimated to have been able to reach lengths of just under 100 feet, similar to that of a modern-day blue whale.

"However, this number is only an estimate and far from certain—until, that is, we find more complete fossil remains," said Perillo.

Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about ichthyosaurs? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.

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