Sea monster unearthed on the Jurassic Coast

The fossilised skull of a pliosaur, an enormous extinct marine reptile, has been found along the Jurassic Coast. The skull of this Jurassic monster is over 2 metres in length and has the biggest jaws in England, if not the world. The pliosaur lived around 155 million years ago and is estimated to have been around 15 metres in length.

Photo (left): Sam Scriven from the Jurassic Coast team sitting inside the lower jaws of this ancient reptile.

This amazing fossil was discovered in Weymouth Bay by Kevan Sheehan, a local fossil collector who recovered the skull over several years. The fossil has now been purchased with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Dorset and Devon County Councils. It will now be painstakingly prepared ready for display in the Dorset County Museum in Dorchester.

Image (right): Artist's reconstruction of the giant pliosaur showing how it may have lived 155 million years ago.
© Mark Witton

Our palaeontologist Phil Davidson joined Dr Dave Martill from Portsmouth University and Richard Edmonds from the Jurassic Coast Team to have a closer look at the monster find. Phil had this to say about the monster find: “I was amazed at the size of it, this could be the largest pliosaur skull ever found. Kevan has done a fantastic job rescuing this specimen from the sea. I don’t know how he managed to carry it back off the beach!” The skull will take at least a year to be professionally prepared, before it will be on permanent display at Dorset County Museum in Dorchester.