The fossil of an ancient marine reptile called the Ichthyosaur has been discovered in a British water reservoir. Also referred to as a “sea dragon,” the remains were found at the Rutland Water Nature Reserve. It is the biggest and most complete skeleton of its kind found to date in the U.K. According to the release, it is also thought to be the first Ichthyosaur of its species called Temnodontosaurus trigonodon.
The fossil was located by a member of the county water conservation team as they were found during routine lagoon draining. The team is working to grade the land and direct water to the locations they planned. The remains are estimated to be 180 million years old with a skeleton around 10 metres in length.
The skull of the Ichthyosaurus weighs approximately one tonne. The species first appeared on Earth around 250 million years ago and went extinct 90 million years ago. The animal resembles dolphins but its size varied from one to more than 25 metres. The remains in Britain were excavated in August and September 2021 by a team of paleontologists.
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