Scientists Discover Ancient New Ichthyosaur Species in Germany

Researchers have identified a new ichthyosaur species from the Jurassic era.

A team of researchers from Switzerland and Germany, led by Gaël Spicher of the JURASSICA Museum in Porrentruy (Switzerland), has identified a previously unknown species of ichthyosaur. The discovery is based on fossil specimens preserved at the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken in Bayreuth (Germany). Details of the work were published in Fossil Record, the open-access journal of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.

The newly recognized species has been named Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis, a reference to the Mistelgau clay pit in Upper Franconia. This location is renowned for producing significant fossil discoveries. “We wanted to highlight the scientific importance of the Mistelgau locality,” explains lead author and doctoral student Gaël Spicher.

Fossil Excavations at Mistelgau

Excavations in the clay pit have been conducted regularly since 1998 by the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken, which recovered and prepared the fossils prior to their scientific study. One specimen originates from a so-called “belemnite battleground” – dense accumulations of Jurassic cephalopod remains that are characteristic of the site.

Ichthyosaurs – marine reptiles that lived during the time of the dinosaurs – show striking similarities in body shape to dolphins or tuna. The newly described species shares the elongation of the upper jaw typical for eurhinosaurs, producing a pronounced “overbite” similar to that of modern swordfish. Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis differs from previously known species by its notably robust ribs and special features in the joint connecting the skull and the neck.

“The naming of a new species emphasizes the significance of the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken’s fossil collections for understanding Jurassic marine ecosystems,” says museum director Dr. Serjoscha Evers, who was not involved in the study. “The Mistelgau site continues to provide rare insights into a time period that is otherwise scarcely documented worldwide.”

Further studies on the Mistelgau material are in preparation. These include analyses of injuries preserved in the ichthyosaur skeletons, which may shed light on the ecology and life history of these ancient marine reptiles.

Reference: “A new Eurhinosaurus (Ichthyosauria) species from the Lower Jurassic (Toarcian) of Mistelgau (Bavaria, Southern Germany)” by Gaël E. Spicher, Feiko Miedema, Jelle Heijne and Nicole Klein, 25 September 2025, Fossil Record.
DOI: 10.3897/fr.28.154203

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