dziwne-zwierzęta-oceaniczne: Largest and heaviest animals

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

The largest extant animal, as well as the largest animal to ever exist, is the blue whale. The maximum recorded weight was 190 tonnes for a specimen measuring 27.6 metres (91 ft), whereas longer ones, up to 33.6 metres (110 ft), have been recorded but not weighed. It is estimated that this individual could have a mass of 250 tonnes or more. The longest non-colonial animal is the lion's mane jellyfish (120 ft, 36.6 m). While controversial, estimates for the weight of the sauropod Bruhathkayosaurus suggest it was around 110–170 tons, with the highest estimate being 240 tons, if scaled with Patagotitan, although actual fossil remains no longer exist, and that estimation is based on described d…

Evidence: 45 • authority: 72

Ichthyotitan ( IK-thee-ə-TY-tən) is an extinct genus of giant ichthyosaur from the Late Triassic (Rhaetian), known from the Westbury Mudstone Formation in Somerset, England. It is believed to be a shastasaurid, extending the family's range by 13 million years up to the latest Triassic. The discovery of Ichthyotitan has been considered evidence that shastasaurids were still thriving until their disappearance in the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event. The genus contains a single species, I. severnensis. It is known from two fragmentary surangular bones of the lower jaw, discovered in separate places in 2016 and 2020. Other specimens throughout Western Europe have been linked to the species ba…

Evidence: 33 • authority: 69

Giant ichthyosaurs with body length estimates exceeding 20 m were present in the latest Triassic of the UK. Here we report on the discovery of a second surangular from the lower jaw of a giant ichthyosaur from Somerset, UK. The new find is comparable in size and morphology to a specimen from Lilstock, Somerset, described in 2018, but it is more complete and better preserved. Both finds are from the uppermost Triassic Westbury Mudstone Formation (Rhaetian), but the new specimen comes from Blue Anchor, approximately 10 km west along the coast from Lilstock. The more complete surangular would have been >2 m long, from an individual with a body length estimated at ~25 m. The identification of two specimens with the same unique morphology and from the same geologic age and geographic location warrants the erection of a new genus and species, Ichthyotitan severnensis gen. et sp. nov. Thin sections of the new specimen revealed the same histological features already observed in similar giant ichthyosaurian specimens. Our data also supports the previous suggestion of an atypical osteogenesis in the lower jaws of giant ichthyosaurs. The geological age and giant size of the specimens suggest shastasaurid affinities, but the material is too incomplete for a definitive referral. Ichthyotitan severnensis gen. et sp. nov., is the first-named giant ichthyosaur from the Rhaetian and probably represents the largest marine reptile formally described. The discovery of another giant ichthyosaur surangular from the Somerset coast of the UK provides additional support for the conclusions presented by [ 7 ] and the findings of [ 17 , 18 ]. The new specimen matches the Lilstock surangular in overall shape, bears the same unique morphology and comes from the same stratigraphic age (Westbury Mudstone Formation, Upper Triassic, latest Rhaetian). The specimen is, however, more complete and better preserved than the Lilstock surangular and includes a large portion of the anterior section, showing distinct facets for the dentary and a section of what is possibly the angular, which appears fused to the surangular. We herein formally assign these two specimens to a new genus and species, Ichthyotitan severnensis , which is the first-named giant ichthyosaur from the Rhaetian. This taxon has an estimated body length of around 25 m, or at least somewhere in the 20–26 m range and represents the largest estimate for a prehistoric marine reptile. The histological analysis agrees with similar specimens and advocates for a still growing sub-adult or early adult animal that had yet to reach an asymptotic growth stage. It is, however, worth reiterating that this is based on fragmentary remains and thus more complete specimens are required to confirm the giant size. Furthermore, if the estimates for the Aust bones are correct, as per Lomax et al. [ 7 ], then those individuals probably represent the largest ichthyosaurs known. This work reports the discovery of another large surangular from a giant Triassic (Rhaetian) ichthyosaur in the UK. The new specimen is a right surangular that is morphologically identical but more complete than the left surangular described by Lomax et al. [ 7 ]. A combination of unique morphological characters observed in both examples suggest that they represent a new taxon. Both specimens were discovered in Somerset, UK, and were collected from strata dating to the latest Rhaetian, approximately 202 Ma [ 7 , 8 ]. The stratigraphic horizon present immediately above the level of both finds represents a period of cataclysm with extensive seismite and tsunamite rocks [ 9 , 10 ], indicative of the Late Triassic global mass extinction event. This extinction greatly reduced both ecomorphological disparity and species diversity and is considered the most poorly understood of the ‘Big Five’ mass extinctions [ 11 – 14 ]. It is probable that this lineage of giant ichthyosaurs vanished during the end-Triassic mass extinction event, and that ichthyosaurs never reached this size again before their extinction in the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian), around 94 Ma [ 15 ].

Evidence: 33 • authority: 71

That's a big ichthyosaur: Father-daughter team helps find largest marine reptile A father and daughter discovered fossil remnants of a giant ichthyosaur that scientists say may have been the largest-known marine reptile to ever swim the seas. Ruby and her father would later discover that they'd just chanced upon part of the largest marine reptile ever found — a giant ichthyosaur from 202 million years ago, near the end of the Triassic Period. This makes it the largest ichthyosaur — and therefore the largest marine reptile — ever described. In fact, Lomax says the animal may not have even been fully grown when it died.

Evidence: 33 • authority: 72

This article lists the largest organisms for various types of life and mostly considers extant species, which found on Earth can be determined according to various aspects of an organism's size, such as: mass, volume, area, length, height, or even genome size. Some organisms group together to form a superorganism (such as ants or bees), but such are not classed as single large organisms. The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest structure composed of living entities, stretching 2,000 km (1,200 mi) but contains many organisms of many types of species. When considering singular entities, the largest organisms are clonal colonies which can spread over large areas. Pando, a clonal colony of…

Evidence: 26 • authority: 72

This list of largest reptiles takes into consideration both body length and mass of large reptile species, including average ranges and maximum records. The crocodilians reach a length of 4 m (13 ft) and a mass of 500 kg (1,100 lb) or more. It is worth mentioning that, unlike the upper weight of mammals, birds or fish, mass in reptiles is frequently poorly documented, thus subject to conjecture and estimation. The saltwater crocodile is considered to be the largest extant reptile, verified at up to 6.32 m (20.7 ft) in length and around 1,000–1,500 kg (2,200–3,300 lb) in mass. Larger specimens have been reported albeit not fully verified, the maximum of which is purportedly 7 m (23 ft) long…

Evidence: 20 • authority: 92

Global biodiversity and the expanding Tree of Life.. Global biodiversity is increasingly threatened, but still poorly known. Preserving higher taxa (e.g., genera, families, orders) is especially important because each higher taxon may represent more genetic, morphological, ecological, and functional diversity than a typical species within a genus. Given this, there has been considerable focus on the loss of clades and their phylogenetic diversity. However, we know little about whether there are also gains of new clades: new higher taxa that are based on newly discovered species. Here, we analyze these newly discovered branches across the Tree of Life. We estimate that >700 new genera, >20 n…

Evidence: 20 • authority: 72

The marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), also known as the sea iguana, saltwater iguana, or Galápagos marine iguana, is a species of iguana found only on the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador). Unique among modern lizards, it is a marine reptile that has the ability to forage in the sea for algae, which make up almost all of its diet. Marine iguanas are the only extant lizard that spends time in a marine environment. Large males are able to dive to find this food source, while females and smaller males feed during low tide in the intertidal zone. They mainly live in colonies on rocky shores where they bask after visiting the relatively cold water or intertidal zone, but can also be seen in mar…

Evidence: 0 • authority: 69