Paleontologists have identified a partial skeleton found in British Columbia more than a century ago as representing a new genus and species of ichthyosaur, a dolphin-like marine reptile that roamed ancient oceans. The discovery, published today in the journal Paludicola, marks the most complete Early Jurassic ichthyosaur specimen known from North America.
The fossil, named Fernatator prenticei, was discovered in 1916 by T. Prentice while fishing in the Elk River, but only now has been formally described by an international team led by Professor Judy Massare of SUNY College at Brockport. The 190-million-year-old specimen was found in the Fernie Formation and represents a rare find in a region better known for other types of marine reptiles.
Early Jurassic ichthyosaurs from North America are scarce compared to the thousands of specimens collected from the United Kingdom and Germany, making the British Columbia find particularly valuable for researchers1. "Thus, the discovery of a partial skeleton from western Canada is significant," Massare and her colleagues noted1.
Ichthyosaurs were dominant marine predators from the Early Triassic through the beginning of the Late Cretaceous, resembling dolphins but with vertical tail fins that moved side to side rather than up and down like modern whales12.
The Fernatator announcement comes weeks after researchers confirmed another major marine reptile discovery from British Columbia. In May, scientists identified Traskasaura sandrae, a new genus of plesiosaur found on Vancouver Island in 1988, which became the province's official fossil emblem in 202312.
The Traskasaura discovery was bittersweet for the paleontology community. Amateur fossil hunter Mike Trask, who found the specimen with his then 12-year-old daughter Heather along the Puntledge River, died on May 15, just eight days before the official publication confirming the new genus23.
Both discoveries highlight British Columbia's rich marine fossil record spanning different geological periods. While Traskasaura lived during the Late Cretaceous period about 85 million years ago, Fernatator represents the much earlier Early Jurassic period12.
The province has yielded various ichthyosaur specimens over the decades, including material from northern Vancouver Island and Williston Lake, though complete specimens remain rare34. "It has been a very special experience to work on these specimens at the museum over the summer and to contribute to the understanding of palaeontology in my home province," noted one researcher studying ichthyosaur fossils at the Royal BC Museum3.
