Thread by @Telegraph

🔎The skeleton of a 180 million-year-old sea dragon has been discovered in Rutland.

Scientists are celebrating it as one of the “greatest finds” in British palaeontological history

🔓This article is currently free to read

Thread 🧵👇
telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/01/1…

📏Measuring 10 metres in length with a skull weighing approximately one tonne, the ichthyosaur is the largest and most complete fossil of any marine reptile found in Britain

Ichthyosaurs were marine reptiles that lived in Britain 250 million years ago.

❌They went extinct 90 million years ago

➡️The animal was characterised by its large teeth and eyes, and ranged in size from one to more than 25 metres.

It was first identified in the 19th century by the palaeontologist Mary Anning

The skeleton was also surrounded by the remains of ammonites and belemnites, which may have been feasting on the animal's remains.

🧪Scientists said that the discovery could give them a better understanding of their ecosystems

🗣️“Not only is it the largest ichthyosaur skeleton ever found in Britain, but it is also the most complete skeleton of a large prehistoric reptile ever discovered in the UK.

"And yes, that includes dinosaurs," said palaeontologist Dr Dean Lomax

🔴“To put this find into context for the public; in the world of British palaeontology, the discovery is like finding a complete Tyrannosaurus rex out in the Badlands of America...

"Only this Jurassic giant was found in a nature reserve in Rutland, of all places"

🗣️"It is a truly unprecedented discovery and one of the greatest finds in British palaeontological history," said Dr Lomax.

Read the full story👇
telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/01/1…

📺The excavation of the remains will feature on BBC Two’s Digging For Britain Tonight at 8pm
telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/01/1…