The Palaeontology Thread

Most palaeontological news items aren't big enough to warrant dedicated threads, but if there is sufficient interest, here is a thread to collate them.

Huge sea dragon fossil hailed as one of UK's greatest palaeontological finds

Quote:

The fossilised remains of a giant sea dragon discovered by chance in the UK has been hailed as one of Britain's greatest palaeontological finds. The fossil of the prehistoric ichthyosaur, a large marine reptile known colloquially as a sea dragon [by whom? - arth], dates back about 180 million years. The skeleton measures around 10 metres in length and the skull weighs approximately one tonne, making it the largest and most complete fossil of its kind ever found in the UK. It was found by chance by Joe Davis of Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust during a routine draining of a lagoon island at Rutland Water reservoir in February 2021. "A lot of people spend their careers looking for something like this," Mr Davis said. "My kids have now named me Joe-rassic."

via International Skeptics Forum https://ift.tt/3HTunBy