Timeline of ichthyosaur research

Artist's restoration of a school of Brachypterygius

This timeline of ichthyosaur research is a chronological listing of events in the history of paleontology focused on the ichthyosaurs, a group of secondarily aquatic marine reptiles whose body plan is convergent with the body plans of dolphins, sharks, and swordfish. Scientists have documented ichthyosaur fossils at least as far back as the late 17th century. At that time, a scholar named Edward Lhwyd published a book on British fossils that misattributed some ichthyosaur vertebrae to actual fishes;[1] their true nature was not recognized until the 19th century. In 1811, a boy named Joseph Anning discovered the first ichthyosaur fossils that would come to be scientifically recognized as such.[2] His sister Mary would later find the rest of its skeleton and would go on to become a respected fossil collector in her own right.[3]

Early researchers recognized ichthyosaurs as marine reptiles, but major aspects of their anatomy and behavior needed to be resolved. They were frequently portrayed as leaving the water to bask on rocks and with straight tails.[4] Although a bend in ichthyosaurs' tail vertebrae was seen from the earliest specimens, scholars assumed the bend reflected damage incurred to the animal's carcass after death. This bend was so common, however, that scholars eventually realized that it was natural and supported a shark-like tail fin.[5] Scientists came to realize that ichthyosaurs were too adapted to leave the water even to lay eggs. Evidence for live birth in ichthyosaurs dates back as far as 1846, when Chaning Pierce reported an apparent fossil Ichthyosaurus embryo to Sir Richard Owen.[6]

Ichthyosaur discoveries continued to be made into the 20th century. In 1928, Simeon Muller discovered the remains of 40 gigantic ichthyosaurs in Nevada. However, these remains would not be excavated until Charles Camp and Samuel Welles of Berkeley led an expedition for the purpose in the mid 1950s.[7] These fossils would take more than a decade to excavate, and the results of Camp's examination of the bones would not be published until a year after his 1975 death. These giant ichthyosaurs were named Shonisaurus popularis and their final resting place is now known as Berlin-Ichthyosaur state park.[8]

Other notable late 20th century advances in ichthyosaur research include the recognition of a new genus of ichthyosaur called Eurhinosaurus longirostris that had been misclassified as a species of Ichthyosaurus since 1854.[9] In 1986 Christopher McGowan would describe another, similar animal serendipitously discovered in England as Excalibosaurus, after King Arthur's mythical sword.[9] The late 1990s and early 21st century would see scholarly debate regarding the cause of the ichthyosaurs' extinction, especially regarding the potential role played by competition with the mosasaurs which had evolved around the time.[10]

17th century

1699

19th century

1810s

Illustration of the ichthyosaur skull discovered by Joseph Anning. Everard Home, 1814
The torso found by Mary Anning

1811

1812

1814

1819

1820s

Ichthyosaurs have long been compared to dolphins.

1823

1824

1830s

1834

1839

1840s

1846

1850s

1851

1853

1854

1860s

Two fossil Stenopterygius from Holzmaden

1860

1866

1880s

Artist's restoration of Mixosaurus

1880

1887

20th century

1900s

Artist's restoration of Omphalosaurus

1902

1903

1906

1909

1910s

Artist's restoration of Ophthalmosaurus

1910

1920s

1922

1925

1926

Skeletal reconstruction of the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park ichthyosaur

1928

1930s

1934

1940s

1948

1950s

A Stenopterygius skeleton from Holzmaden

1951

1954

1956

Artist's restoration of Shonisaurus

1957

1960s

Artist's restoration of Temnodontosaurus

1963

1965

1968

1970s

1972

1973

Shonisaurus popularis (green) with a human and S. sikanniensis to scale

1975

1976

1979

1980s

Shonisaurus fossils on exhibit at Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park

1980

1983

1984

1985

Skeletal mount of Ophthalmosaurus

1986

Artist's restoration of Excalibosaurus

1988

1989

Skeleton of Mixosaurus

1990s

A tour guide describes Shonisaurus at Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park

1990

1991

1992

Close-up photograph of a Stenopterygius embryo

1993

Fossils of Cymbospondylus
Artist's restoration of Stenopterygius

1994

1995

Skeleton of Mixosaurus

1996

1997

Artist's restoration of Utatsusaurus
Skeleton of Suevoleviathan

1998

Artist's restoration of Eurhinosaurus
Artist's restoration of Contectopalatus

1999

21st century

2000s

Tail fluke of Aegirosaurus

2000

2001

Skeleton of Mixosaurus
Artist's restoration of Platypterygius feeding on fish and turtle hatchlings

2002

Illustration of an Ophthalmosaurus skull

2003

2010s

2010

Skull bones of Acamptonectes.

2011

2012

Artist's restoration of Thalattoarchon.

2013

2014

2015

See also

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 65.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 67.
  3. Emling (2009); in passim.
  4. 1 2 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 70–71.
  5. 1 2 3 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 71.
  6. 1 2 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 71–72.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 90.
  8. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 91–92.
  9. 1 2 3 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 107.
  10. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 114–116.
  11. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 67–68.
  12. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 68.
  13. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 70.
  14. Ellis (2003); "The Marine Reptiles: An Overview", page 21.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 97.
  16. 1 2 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 87–88.
  17. 1 2 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 113.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 74.
  19. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 72.
  20. 1 2 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 84.
  21. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 84–85.
  22. 1 2 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 85.
  23. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 88.
  24. 1 2 3 4 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 96.
  25. 1 2 3 4 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 87.
  26. McGowan (1994); "Taxonomic History of E. longirostris," page 748.
  27. 1 2 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 112.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 109.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 89.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 86.
  31. 1 2 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 63.
  32. 1 2 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 100.
  33. 1 2 3 4 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 91.
  34. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 105–106.
  35. 1 2 3 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 105.
  36. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 97–98.
  37. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 98–99.
  38. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 92.
  39. 1 2 3 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 82.
  40. 1 2 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 106.
  41. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 72–73.
  42. 1 2 3 4 5 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 95.
  43. 1 2 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 88–89.
  44. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 102.
  45. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 76.
  46. 1 2 3 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 80.
  47. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 106–107.
  48. Mayor (2005); "The Baboquivari Monster of Tohono O'odham Lore," page 344.
  49. 1 2 3 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 103.
  50. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 89–90.
  51. 1 2 3 4 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 81.
  52. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 103–104.
  53. 1 2 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 79.
  54. 1 2 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 114.
  55. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 73–74.
  56. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 93.
  57. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 75.
  58. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 81–82.
  59. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 94.
  60. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 104.
  61. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 85–86.
  62. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 78–79.
  63. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 102–103.
  64. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 64–65.
  65. 1 2 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 111.
  66. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 111–112.
  67. 1 2 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 115.
  68. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 80–81.
  69. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 96–97.
  70. Maisch and Matzke (2000); "Abstract," page 1.
  71. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 86–87.
  72. Nicholls and Manabe (2001); "Abstract," page 983.
  73. 1 2 Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," page 99.
  74. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 93–94.
  75. Ellis (2003); "The Ichthyosaurs," pages 110–111.
  76. Maxwell (2010); in passim.
  77. 1 2 Druckenmiller and Maxwell (2010); in passim.
  78. Maisch (2010); in passim.
  79. Chen and Cheng (2010); in passim.
  80. Fischer et al. (2011) "A New Barremian..."; in passim.
  81. Fischer et al. (2012); in passim.
  82. Druckenmiller et al. (2012); in passim.
  83. Maxwell, Fernández and Schoch (2012); in passim.
  84. Martin et al. (2012); in passim.
  85. 1 2 Chen et al. (2013); in passim.
  86. Cuthbertson, Russell, and Anderson (2013); in passim.
  87. Fischer et al. (2013); in passim.
  88. Fröbisch et al. (2013); in passim.
  89. Roberts et al. (2014); in passim.
  90. Fischer et al. (2014) "A New Lower Cretaceous..."; in passim.
  91. Fischer et al. (2014) "High Diversity..."; in passim.
  92. Arkhangelsky and Zverkov (2014); in passim.
  93. Brusatte et al. (2015); in passim.
  94. Lomax and Massare et al. (2015); in passim.
  95. Maxwell et al. (2015); in passim.

References


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External links

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