Scientists have discovered the fossilized remains of “the biggest and most complete” ichthyosaur, also known as a sea dragon, in U.K. history.
The gigantic skeleton of the extinct prehistoric reptile, which lived alongside thedinosaursabout 180 million years ago during the Jurassic Period, was found during routine maintenance on a British nature reserve, according to apress releasefrom Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.
“The size and the completeness together is what makes it truly exceptional,” the lead excavator Dean Lomax, an ichthyosaur expert and visiting scientist at the University of Manchester, toldCNNof the 32-foot-long skeleton.
Earlier discoveries of ichthyosaur remains in the U.K. had been “nowhere near as complete and as large as this,” according to Lomax.
Lomax believes the discovery is the “tip of the iceberg” and more fossils from the specimen could be found once additional rocks have been cleared.
The remainswere first uncovered in February at the Rutland Water Nature Reserve in Rutland when team leader Joe Davis began draining the water in the lagoon for maintenance and saw a vertebrae in the mud, according to the press release.
“The find has been absolutely fascinating and a real career highlight, it’s great to learn so much from the discovery and to think that this amazing creature was once swimming in seas above us,” Davis explained in the press release.
A team ofpaleontologistsin partnership Anglian Water, Rutland County Council and Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust completed the excavation of the remains over two months, beginning in August, according to the release.
Anglian Water via Storyful
“It was just mind blowing,” Regan Harris, a spokeswoman for Anglian Water, told CNN. “I mean, you kind of couldn’t really believe your eyes when you were looking at it in front of you. But yeah, incredible.”
Paul Barrett, merit researcher in the Earth Sciences Vertebrates and Anthropology Palaeobiology department at the Natural History Museum in London, was not involved in the study but said it was “probably one of the largest fossil reptiles ever found, including dinosaurs,” CNN reported.
“It’s genuinely a really impressive, spectacular object. Certainly one of the most impressive marine fossil discoveries from the U.K. that I can remember at least in the last 20 to 30 years or so,” he added.
According to the press release, researchers believe it is the first of its specific species, Temnodontosaurus trigonodon, found in Britain.
Ichthyosaurs — which resemble dolphins — first appeared around 250 million years ago and went extinct 90 million years ago, theWashington Postreported.
source: people.com
