# Ichthyotitan

By [Untitled](https://paragraph.com/@0x6cccf6db7e41d3451c799cc99769d70da86c251a) · 2024-04-28

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**_Ichthyotitan_** ([/ˌɪkθiəˈtaɪtən/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English)) is an extinct [genus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genus) of giant [ichthyosaur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichthyosaur) from the [Late Triassic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Triassic) ([Rhaetian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhaetian)), known from the [Westbury Mudstone Formation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westbury_Formation) in [Somerset](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somerset), England. It is believed to be a [shastasaurid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shastasaurid), extending the family's range by 13 million years up to the latest Triassic. The discovery of _Ichthyotitan_ has been considered evidence that shastasaurids were still thriving until their disappearance in the [Triassic–Jurassic extinction event](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triassic%E2%80%93Jurassic_extinction_event).

The genus contains a [single species](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotypic_taxon), **_I. severnensis_**. It is known from two fragmentary [surangular](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surangular) bones of the lower jaw, discovered in separate places in 2016 and 2020. Other specimens throughout Western Europe have been linked to the species based on similar [osteological](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteology) features, although their affiliation is uncertain. Estimates scaling up the bones from other ichthyosaur species put _Ichthyotitan_'s body length at nearly 25 metres (82 ft), which would make it the largest [marine reptile](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_reptile) currently known.

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*Originally published on [Untitled](https://paragraph.com/@0x6cccf6db7e41d3451c799cc99769d70da86c251a/ichthyotitan)*