This timeline of ichthyosaur research is a chronological listing of events in the history of paleontology focused on the ichthyosauromorphs, a group of secondarily aquatic marine reptiles whose later members superficially resembled dolphins, sharks, or swordfish. Scientists have documented ichthyosaur fossils at least as far back as the late 17th century. At that time, a scholar named Edward Lhuyd published a book on British fossils that misattributed some ichthyosaur vertebrae to actual fishes; their true nature was not recognized until the 19th century. In 1811, a boy named Joseph Anning discovered the first ichthyosaur fossils that would come to be scientifically recognized as such. His sister, Mary Anning, would later find the rest of its skeleton and would go on to become a respected fossil collector and paleontologist in her own right. Early researchers recognized ichthyosaurs as marine reptiles, but major aspects of their anatomy and behavior needed to be resolved. They were frequently portrayed as leaving the water to bask on rocks and with straight tails. Although a bend in ichthyosaurs' tail vertebrae was seen from the earliest specimens, scholars assumed the bend reflected damage incurred to the animal's carcass after death. This bend was so common, however, that scholars eventually realized that it was natural and supported a shark-like tail fin. Scientists came to realize that ichthyosaurs were too adapted to leave the water even to lay eggs. Evidence for live birth in ichthyosaurs dates back as far as 1846, when Chaning Pierce reported an apparent fossil Ichthyosaurus embryo to Sir Richard Owen. Ichthyosaur discoveries continued to be made into the 20th century. In 1928, Simeon Muller discovered the remains of 40 gigantic ichthyosaurs in Nevada. However, these remains would not be excavated until Charles Camp and Samuel Welles of Berkeley led an expedition for the purpose in the mid 1950s. These fossils would take more than a decade to excavate, and the results of Camp's examination of the bones would not be published until a year after his 1975 death. These giant ichthyosaurs were named Shonisaurus popularis and their final resting place is now known as Berlin-Ichthyosaur state park. Other notable late 20th century advances in ichthyosaur research include the recognition of a new genus of ichthyosaur called Eurhinosaurus longirostris that had been misclassified as a species of Ichthyosaurus since 1854. In 1986 Christopher McGowan would describe another, similar animal serendipitously discovered in England as Excalibosaurus, after King Arthur's mythical sword. The late 1990s and early 21st century would see scholarly debate regarding the cause of the ichthyosaurs' extinction, especially regarding the potential role played by competition with the mosasaurs which had evolved around the time.
17th century
1699 Edward Lhuyd published a book called Lithophylacii Britannici Ichonographia about British fossils housed in Oxford's Ashmolean Museum. The book contained illustrations of unrecognized ichthyosaur vertebrae misidentified as belonging to fishes. 120 copies of the book were produced.
19th century
1810s
1811 Joseph Anning discovered the first scientifically recognized ichthyosaur remains.
1812 Mary Anning found the rest of the original ichthyosaur skeleton discovered by her brother Joseph.
1814 An anatomist with the Royal College of Surgeons named Sir Everard Home described the ichthyosaur discovered by the Annings. He thought it formed a "link between fishes and crocodiles".
1818 König described the new genus Ichthyosaurus.
1819 Everard Home changed his mind about the relationships of Ichthyosaurus. Instead of linking fishes with crocodiles, he concluded that it linked salamanders and lizards. He tried to rename it Proteosaurus after the salamander genus Proteus, but his original name had priority and is still considered official.
1820s
1822 Conybeare described Ichthyosaurus communis and I. intermedius along with the species that would later come to be known as Leptonectes tenuirostris and Temnodontosaurus platyodon.
1823 Mary Anning or a member of her family discovered a complete Ichthyosaurus skeleton in Lyme Regis. The find aroused widespread curiosity about ancient life throughout Britain.
1824 The Reverend George Young discovered an ichthyosaur fossil in Whitby, Yorkshire. He also described the specimen, noting that it shared traits with crocodiles, fishes, and dolphins. Young speculated that ichthyosaurs might still be discovered alive as more of the world's seas and oceans are explored.
1830s
1830 Henry de la Beche illustrated a work titled "Duria Antiquior", meaning "Ancient Dorset" for fossil hunter Mary Anning. This work, which prominently features plesiosaurs, has been regarded as the first attempt to accurately reconstruct the Mesozoic world through an artistic medium.
1834 Thomas W. Hawkins published a book titled Memoirs of Ichthyosauri and Plesiosauri. He sold it in subscription format for L2.10, an exorbitantly high price for the period. The book included illustrations by landscape painter John Samuelson Templeton, although many of these inaccurately portray ichthyosaurs with straight tails and leaving the water to bask on rocks.
1840s
1840 Owen described the new species "Ichthyosaurus" acutirostris.
1843 Theodori described the new species that would later become known as Temnodontosaurus trigonodon.
1844 Bronn described the species that would later become known as Suevoleviathan integer.
1846 Chaning Pearce discovered that a specimen of Ichthyosaurus communis contained the skeleton of another, tiny I. communis partially protruding from the larger individual's pelvis. After discussing the fossil with Sir Richard Owen, Pearce concluded that the specimen was a female killed and preserved in the act of giving birth.
1850s
1851 Gideon Mantell described the new species Ichthyosaurus longirostris based on fossil found in Whitby, Yorkshire. Its upper jaw was so much longer than its lower jaw that it resembled a swordfish. Meyer described the new genus and species Tholodus schmidi.
1852 Quenstedt described the species that would later become known as Contectopalatus atavus.
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