The remodel was released on September 23, 2018, along with its Blue Whale skin. So the new fossil was compared to the jaw of Shonisaurus revealed that the new bone is 25 percent bigger. The story of Dr Dean Lomax and his research on Ichthyosaurs, including discovering some that were possibly bigger than a blue whale, is truly fascinating and inspiring. Approaching the size of a blue whale. We eventually realised the Lilstock ichthyosaur was so big it could be the largest of its kind ever discovered, comparable to a blue whale in length. We were also surprised to discover there were very few detailed descriptions of ichthyosaur surangular bones in the academic literature, and even less information on giant specimens. You’re probably thinking of its larger relatives, such as Thalattoarchon, Temnodontosaurus, Shonisaurus , Shastasaurus, etc. The blue whale is bigger. Ancient Ichthyosaur was as Big as the Modern Blue Whale A humongous sea monster of the prehistoric past was as large as a Blue Whale. A newly discovered ancient sea monster from the dinosaur age was nearly the size of a blue whale. This normal-looking reptile may be the largest animal that ever existed. They’re said to be even larger. Fossil collector and co-author of the study, Paul de la Salle, found the bone on the beach at Lilstock, Somerset in May 2016. At The Conversation, Dean Lomax from the University of Manchester describes “How we found a giant ichthyosaur almost as big as a blue whale.” Maybe he can tell us how this creature evolved. If size estimates are accurate, this creature could have measured up to 26 meters (85 feet) long — for comparison, blue whales … What's more, the new specimen helped us demonstrate that several other large fossil bones discovered in 1850 were also from giant ichthyosaurs and not huge land reptiles as previously thought. Known as an ichthyosaur, the animal lived about 205 million years ago and was up to 85 feet long—almost as big as a blue whale, say the authors of a … ... (3.3 ft) in length they're far larger than any known species of ichthyosaur. Dinosaurs are famous for their size, but the largest known animal to have ever existed is still with us today: the blue whale. Approaching the size of a blue whale. The blue whale, up to about 30 metres (98 feet) long, is the biggest animal alive today and the biggest marine animal ever. We eventually realised the Lilstock ichthyosaur was so big it could be the largest of its kind ever discovered, comparable to a blue whale in length. Also; while 85 feet does match the average size for a blue whale, it doesn’t match the maximum size (over 100 feet). 205 million-year-old jaw bone of a 85-foot long sea monster belongs to 'one of the largest animals ever discovered' A fossil collector found the bone on the beach at Lilstock, Somerset in May 2016 Trivia . We eventually realised the Lilstock ichthyosaur was so big it could be the largest of its kind ever discovered, comparable to a blue whale in length. Ichthyosaur Evolution. The 205-million-year-old jaw bone of a prehistoric reptile belongs to 'one of the largest animals ever' say a group of international paleontologists. The bone belongs to a giant ichthyosaur, a type of prehistoric aquatic reptile, and experts estimate the length of this specimen’s body would have been up to 26 metres.