Ichthyosaurus communis
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Ichthyosaurus Temporal range: Late Triassic - Early Jurassic, Rhaetian–Pliensbachian |
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| Fossil specimen of I. communis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | †Ichthyosauria |
| Family: | †Ichthyosauridae |
| Genus: |
†Ichthyosaurus De la Beche & Conybeare, 1821 |
| Type species | |
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†Ichthyosaurus communis Conybeare, 1822 |
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| Species | |
Ichthyosaurus (derived from Greek ιχθυς/ichthys meaning 'fish' and σαυρος/sauros meaning 'lizard') is a genus of ichthyosaurs from the late Triassic and early Jurassic (Rhaetian - Pliensbachian) of Europe (Belgium, England, Germany, Switzerland) and Asia (Indonesia). It is among the best known ichthyosaur genera, with the Order Ichthyosauria being named after it.
Ichthyosaurus were smaller than most of their relatives, with individuals measuring up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) in length. Hundreds of well-preserved, fossilised skeletons have been found in Jurassic rock at Holzmaden, Germany. Some of the bones were still articulated. Some fossils still had baby specimens inside them, indicating that Ichthyosaurus was viviparous. Similar finds in the related Stenopterygius also show this. The German fossils also featured the outline of Ichthyosaurus's skin, revealing that it had a fleshy dorsal fin on its back and a large caudal fin. Other ichthyosaur fossils showed this feature was not limited to Ichthyosaurus.
Ichthyosaurus was the first complete fossil to be discovered in the early 19th century by Mary Anning in England.
I. anningae, described in 2015 from a fossil found in the early 1980s in Dorset, England, was named after Anning. The fossil was acquired by Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery, where it was misidentifed as a plaster cast. In 2008, Dean Lomax, from the University of Manchester, recognised it as genuine and worked with Judy Massare, of the State University of New York, to establish it as a new species.
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