Researchers have uncovered evidence of a marine reptile that may be the largest ever to swim in the world’s oceans, according to BBC and National Geographic. The creature was approximately 25 meters long, or about as long as a blue whale, based on the size of its jawbones.

In 2016, a fossil hunter discovered one jawbone on a beach in Somerset, UK, and in 2020, a father and daughter found another similar fossilized jawbone in the area. Paleontologist Dean Lomax from the University of Bristol evaluated the fossils and concluded that they belong to two giant fish lizards known as Ichthyotitan severensis.

The extinct fish lizards were among the top predators of their time and could grow up to 30 meters long. However, more evidence is needed to confirm their size accurately. The new fossils are from the very late Triassic period, which is known for being a black box for Ichthyosaurian fossil series. This discovery challenges previous assumptions that all giant fish-lizard fossils are found in older rocks in Asia and North America.