A gigantic prehistoric “sea dragon” has been discovered in Rutland reservoir the Midlands, UK, in what has been described as one of the greatest finds in the history of British palaeontology.
The 10-metre long ichthyosaur (also called sea dragon) is about 180 million-year-old and is the largest and most complete fossil of its kind ever found in the UK, reports The Guardian. According to the BBC, when lifted for conservation and study, the block containing the 2-metre skull and surrounding clay, alone weighed a tonne.
Joe Davis of the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust discovered it during the routine draining of a lagoon island at the Rutland Water reservoir in February 2021.
Similar in shape to dolphins, sea dragons varied in size from 1-25 metres.
The first ichthyosaurs, which are called sea dragons because they tend to have very large teeth and eyes, were discovered by the fossil hunter and palaeontologist Mary Anning in the early 19th century.
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He added that Britain was the birthplace of ichthyosaurs - their fossils have been unearthed there for over 200 years.
Mark Evans of the British Antarctic Survey, who has been studying the Jurassic fossil reptiles for more than 20 years, told the Guardian that even from the first glimpse of the partially exposed fossil it was clear that it was the largest ichthyosaur discovered in the region.
“It was only after our exploratory dig that we realised that it was practically complete to the tip of the tail,” he said. “It’s a highly significant discovery both nationally and internationally but also of huge importance to the people of Rutland and the surrounding area.”
Palaeontologists will continue to research the discovery, with academic papers to be published in the future.
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The fossil is currently being studied and conserved at an undisclosed location in Shropshire but it is expected to be returned to Rutland for permanent display.
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