” Ichthyosauria is a varied group of reptiles well-adapted to marine life that grew from the Early Triassic to the early Late Cretaceous,” stated lead author Dr. Gaël Spicher, a scientist at the JURASSICA Museum, the University of Fribourg and the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, and his coworkers.

“Ichthyosaurs display morphological functions such as limbs customized into fins, lengthened snouts, deeply amphicoelous vertebrae, and the advancement of a tail fin that reveals that they were completely adjusted to marine life.”

“Ichthyosaurs had a cosmopolitan circulation throughout their whole presence.”

“Southern Germany, particularly, is popular for its comprehensive record of fossil ichthyosaurs from the Lower Jurassic, primarily the Posidonienschiefer Formation, which has actually yielded countless specimens.”

“Among these Lower Jurassic ichthyosaurs, Eurhinosaurus is a fairly uncommon faunal part,” they stated.

“Its paleogeographic circulation is limited to what is today Europe, with fossil proof from Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Luxembourg, and Switzerland.”

“This genus is noteworthy for its distinct lengthened and slim snout with a severe overbite by having the mandible dramatically much shorter than the upper jaw (more than 60%).”

The newly-described Eurhinosaurus types shares the elongation of the upper jaw common for its genus.

Called Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensisit lived throughout the Jurassic duration, around 180 million years back.

3 specimens of the brand-new types were found in the Mistelgau clay pit, part of the Jurensismergel Formation southwest of Bayreuth in northern Bavaria, Germany.

“The fossils consist of 2 almost total skeletons and a partial snout, maintained three-dimensionally in a semi-articulated state, with aspects exposed in several orientations,” the paleontologists stated.

“Their conservation is remarkable, providing the bones in 3 measurements, which is incredibly unusual and highlights the value of explaining the specimens.”

According to the authors, these specimens represent the youngest stratigraphic event of the Eurhinosaurus genus.

“These unspoiled fossils from Mistelgau even more supply important insights into Eurhinosaurus morphology and substantially add to our understanding of this traditionally essential ichthyosaur,” they concluded.

The findings were released today in the journal Fossil Record

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G.E. Spicher et al2025. A brand-new Eurhinosaurus (Ichthyosauria) types from the Lower Jurassic (Toarcian) of Mistelgau (Bavaria, Southern Germany). Fossil Record 28 (2 ): 249-291; doi: 10.3897/ fr.28.154203