Fossil discovered on British coast is unique species of ‘sword dragon’

An almost complete skeleton found on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast has been identified as a new species of ichthyosaur, a type of prehistoric marine reptile that once ruled the oceans.

The dolphin-sized ichthyosaur was named Xiphodracon goldencapensis, or ‘Dorset sword dragon’, and is the only known example of its species.

Scientists say the markings on its skull suggest the “sword dragon” may have been killed by a bite to the head, perhaps inflicted by a much larger species of ichthyosaur.

First discovered by a prolific fossil hunter at Golden Cap in Dorset in 2001, the new ichthyosaur was later acquired by a museum in Canada.

Only recently was it fully analyzed by experts and a paper identified it as a new species of ichthyosaur.

“I thought long and hard about the name,” said Dr. Dean Lomax, an ichthyosaur expert and co-author of the paper identifying the skeleton as a new species.

“Xiphodracon translates to sword-shaped dragon and it refers to this very long sword-shaped snout, but also to the fact that ichthyosaurs have been called sea dragons for about 200 years.”

Ichthyosaurs are classified as marine reptiles and not dinosaurs because they spent their lives in water. This particular ichthyosaur is believed to have swum the seas around 185 million years ago, from which time very few ichthyosaur fossils have been discovered.

“At this time, ichthyosaurs are incredibly rare and Xiphodracon is the most complete individual ever discovered, which helps fill a gap,” Dr Lomax said. “It’s a missing piece of the puzzle in ichthyosaur evolution.”

The “sword dragon” is thought to have been around 3 m long and had several features that have not been observed in other ichthyosaur species. Scientists say the strangest detail is a pin-shaped bone near its nostril. The skull has a huge eye socket and a long sword-like snout which it used to eat fish and squid.

There are also clues as to how this particular specimen lived and died.

“The limb bones and teeth are malformed in such a way that indicates serious injury or illness while the animal was still alive,” said study co-author Dr. Erin Maxwell of the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart.

“The skull appears to have been bitten by a large predator – probably another, much larger species of ichthyosaur – which gives us a cause of death for this individual. Life in the Mesozoic oceans was a dangerous prospect.”

The ‘sword dragon’ is one of several ichthyosaur fossils discovered along Dorset’s Jurassic coast since pioneering palaeontologist Mary Anning’s first discoveries in the early 1800s.

This “sword dragon” was discovered in 2001 by fossil hunter Chris Moore and then acquired by the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada where it took more than 15 years to be fully analyzed.

“I don’t want to sound my own ichthyosaur trumpet but I have found a few,” Mr Moore said in a video call from Dorset.

The actual number he discovered is around 15, and several of them, like the “sword dragon”, turn out to be new species.

Mr Moore says he plans to celebrate the new discovery but has not yet decided exactly how.

“Champagne or a cup of tea, I don’t know which yet,” he says.