Giant fossil Ichthyosaur, A species of marine reptiles that lived at the time lower Jurassic (about 200 million years ago) was discovered in the Midlands, UK and is described as one of the greatest discoveries in the history of British paleontology.
Known as the “sea dragon”, ichthyosaurs died out about 90 million years ago, in the Cretaceous period, populating the oceans for 160 million years, while dinosaurs populated land.
Rutland Water Nature Reserve
Fossilized remains of this “sea dragon”, which the team responsible for the discovery considers the largest ichthyosaur in the UK, were found in the Rutland Nature Reserve.
“It is the largest and most complete skeleton of its kind found to date in the UK and is considered the first Ichthyosaur in your kind (Darkdontosaurus trigonodon) can be found in the country, ”says command in statement announce the opening.
The fossil was discovered by Joe Davis, head of one of Rutland’s conservation teams, when he routinely drained an island in the lagoon for landscape restoration in February 2021. a team of specialized paleontologists.
“I have found skeletons of whales and dolphins on other occasions and [o que estava ali] looked like, they looked like vertebrae. We followed what undeniably looked like a pimple on the ground, and a colleague discovered something ahead that could have been a jawbone. We could hardly believe it, ”says Davis, quoted in the statement.
Illustration of the sample under study DEAN R. LOMAX
The ichthyosaurus, which is about 180 million years old, with a skeleton about 10 meters long and a skull weighing about a ton, is the largest and most complete fossil of its kind ever found in Britain. Ichthyosaurs first appeared on Earth about 250 million years ago and became extinct 90 million years ago. It was a group of marine reptiles ranging in length from one to over 25 meters. In general, they resembled dolphins in body shape.
“It was an absolutely exciting discovery and a real highlight of my career. It’s great to think that this incredible creature was floating in the seas above us. “
But whoever thinks that this is the first ichthyosaur found in the reserve is wrong. In the 70s, when the park was being built, two more fossils were found, although incomplete and much smaller in size. It is thus the first complete skeleton found in the Rutland Nature Reserve.
Joe Davis next to his discovery Rutland Water Nature Reserve
“Cradle of Ichthyosaurs”
The reserve is currently seeking funds to preserve the fossils and store them in Rutland, where the heritage can be passed on to the public.
“Great Britain is the birthplace of ichthyosaurs, and their fossils are found here. over 200 years ago… Although many fossils have been found in the country, it is notable that the skeleton of the Rutland ichthyosaur is the largest skeleton ever found in the UK. This is a truly unprecedented discovery and one of the greatest discoveries in the history of British paleontology, ”said Dean Lomax, a paleontologist and scientist at the University of Manchester. who studied thousands of ichthyosaurs…
Already Mark Evans from the University of Leicester says that he immediately realized that in front of him was the largest ichthyosaur fossil ever found, but only after exploratory excavations did they realize that the “body” is practically whole, from head to tip of tail.
“Rutland’s motto”a lot in a small“, And translates as” a lot in a little. ” I think it’s appropriate that we found the largest ichthyosaur skeleton in the UK in the smallest county in England. “
