Triops Longicaudatus
Triops Longicaudatus Red
Triops Longicaudatus
Triops Longicaudatus Red
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Silent giant from prehistoric times: New findings about Temnodontosaurus
A marine reptile more than ten metres long that moved almost silently through the prehistoric oceans – a new scientific study makes this idea tangible. In the scientific journal Nature, researchers report on the discovery of an exceptionally well-preserved front fin of the ichthyosaur Temnodontosaurus trigonodon. The analysis of the fossil, which was discovered in Dotternhausen in the Swabian Jura, reveals how cleverly this prehistoric apex predator had adapted to its aquatic environment.
Fossil find in an exceptional state of preservation
In 2009, fossil collector Georg Göltz discovered a piece of fossil about one metre long during road construction work. This was later identified as the front fin of a Temnodontosaurus that is around 183 million years old. Johan Lindgren and his team from Lund University in Sweden analysed the find using modern analytical methods. Imaging techniques and geochemical analyses were used.
The researchers were able to reconstruct that the fin had a wing-like shape, with flexible, ribbed rear edges and no bony end piece. These elastic structures were supported by so-called chondroderms, special cartilage rods that have never been found in any other known marine reptile. According to the team, the anatomy of this fin suggests that it moves almost silently under water.
The hunter who barely made a sound
‘This adaptation is unique,’ says study leader Lindgren. The streamlined physique, the silent swimming technique and not least the huge eyes, the size of modern footballs, indicate a specialised way of life. The combination of excellent eyesight and silent movement made it an almost perfect predator of the seas.
These findings not only confirm the high degree of evolutionary technology in ichthyosaurs, but also provide evidence of the importance of acoustic stimuli in the ocean, then as now. ‘If an animal had to swim so quietly so as not to frighten off its prey, this shows how sensitively marine habitats react to noise,’ emphasises the research team. In times of increasing noise pollution from shipping, military technology and wind turbines, this is an important reminder.
A role model for the technology of the future
The results are also remarkable from a technical perspective. The Bonn palaeontologist Martin Sander, who was not involved in the study, praises the scientific depth of the work: “This study shows how diverse biodiversity used to be. Such highly specialised characteristics are no longer found in this form today.” At the same time, he emphasises the potential for modern technology: the principles of silent locomotion could serve as a model for quieter underwater vehicles and thus contribute to reducing noise pollution.
The fossil is now on display at the Palaeontological Museum Nierstein in Rhineland-Palatinate. It is part of a long history of spectacular ichthyosaur finds that began over 200 years ago in southern England, also with a Temnodontosaurus. The current research results impressively show how much we can still learn about life in the primordial oceans and how relevant these findings are for the present and the future.
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