sperm whale contest
The first fish dinosaurs (technically: ichthyosaurs) swam through the primitive oceans around 250 million years ago in the early Triassic period. They had an elongated body and a relatively small head. However, just before most of them died out a good 200 million years ago (only the species known as dolphins survived until 90 million years ago), they evolved gigantic shapes. With an estimated weight of 80 tons and a length of over 20 meters, these early giants would have rivaled a sperm whale. However, they left almost no fossil remains – “why is still a big mystery today”, emphasizes Prof. Dr. Martin Sander from the Department of Paleontology at the Institute of Geosciences at the University of Bonn.
The paleontologist first held the fossilized bones in his hands three decades ago. At that time, he was still a doctoral student at the University of Zurich. In the meantime, however, the material has fallen a bit by the wayside. “Recently, however, more remains of giant ichthyosaurs have emerged,” explains the scientist. “Therefore, it seemed useful to us to re-examine the Swiss findings in more detail.”
His colleague Heinz Furrer is pleased with the late recognition of the spectacular remains of the Swiss Alps: “The publication confirmed that our findings at that time belong to the largest fish dinosaurs in the world, with the thickest tooth found to date and the largest dorsal vertebra in Europe. !”
New puzzles open
However, it is unlikely that 205 million years ago animals would have populated the primordial oceans for much longer than previously assumed. “The diameter of the tooth does not directly indicate the length of its owner,” emphasizes Bonn paleontologist Martin Sander. “However, the discovery naturally raises questions.”
Because the research really assumes that extreme gigantism and a predatory (teeth-requiring) lifestyle cannot be reconciled. It is not by chance that the largest animal today is toothless: the blue whale, which reaches 30 meters in length and weighs 150 tons. Next to him, the toothy sperm whale (20 meters and 50 tons) looks like a teenager. While the blue whale filters microorganisms from the water, the sperm whale is a talented hunter. So he needs more of the calories he eats to feed his muscles. “As a result, marine predators probably can’t get much bigger than a sperm whale,” says Sander.
It’s possible that the tooth didn’t come from a particularly gigantic fish dinosaur – but from a fish dinosaur with particularly gigantic teeth.