The remains of a full-size sea monster have been discovered under layers from the Jurassic period in England’s East Midlands. These remains do not belong to a mythical beast, but to an ichthyosaur dinosaur known to have lived in these parts of England.
The 180-million-year-old ichthyosaur fossil was found by Joe Davis, Conservation Team Leader at Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, during the draining of a lagoon island off Rutland Water in February 2021. The fragile remains were carefully excavated and assembled by a team of paleontologists between August and September 2021. It was finally made public this week.
With a length of 10 meters from nose to tail, the ichthyosaur is recorded as the largest and most complete dinosaur fossil ever discovered in England. The dinosaur’s head alone is 2 meters tall and weighs a ton.
Ichthyosaurs, early 19th century British paleontologist Mary Anning
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