The fossilized remains of a colossal 180 million year old ichthyosaur have been found in England. The discovery is described by researchers as one of the most significant discoveries in the region. The 'sea dragon' fossil is in a reservoir in the Rutland area, in the East Midlands, England. The specimen is the largest and most comprehensive fossil ichthyosaur ever found in the UK, measuring nearly 33 feet long and with a skull weighing a tonne. The fossil is also thought to be the first specialized species of Temnodontosaurus trigonodon to be found in England. For information, this 'sea dragon' is a marine reptile that coexisted with dinosaurs, the body shape of an ichthyosaur resembles a dolphin. They became extinct about 90 million years ago, having first appeared 250 million years ago. The ichthyosaurs were first discovered in February last year in the Rutland Water Nature Reserve by Joe Davis, a conservation team leader from Leicestershire and the Rutland Wildlife Trust, which operates the reserve in partnership with Anglian Water owners. Davis was doing routine landscaping work, which involves draining the water in the lagoon, when he noticed a spine sticking out of the mud. The discovery was followed by massive excavations in August and September by a team of paleontologists, led by Dean Lomax, an ichthyosaur expert and current visiting scientist at the University of Manchester.
"Its size and completeness together is what makes it truly extraordinary," Lomax said that previous ichthyosaur discoveries in the UK were not as complete and large as this one.
Lomax said it was the most complete large specimen, which he classified as 10 meters or more in length, found globally. He said it was an absolutely fantastic discovery and also, for him, a real career achievement.
"This is the top of the food chain, the apex predator," he said
"So it's going to eat other ichthyosaurs, it's going to eat big fish, it's going to eat, if it can catch them, squid too."
The specimen is currently being treated by conservator paleontologists. This process is expected to take 12-18 months. Anglian Water spokesman Regan Harris said after this the goal was to publicly display the 'sea dragon' fossil.
"We're very proud of that, and I know the local community is too," he said
"We really wanted to bring it back to Rutland and put it on display for people to enjoy."
For Lomax, the lead researcher, one hope is to explore the Air Rutland site further. This is because six or seven vertebrae from other ichthyosaurs were also found during excavations.
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