'Sea dragon' discovered on a Dorset beach by an amateur Fossil hunter Dr Steve Etches

An amateur fossil hunter, Dr Steve Etches, discovered a new type of prehistoric “sea dragon” on a Dorset beach. It has now been named as Thalassodraco etchesi. As per the study published in journals.plos.org, the specimen, which is a partial, articulated skull and anterior thorax in the Etches Collection of Kimmeridge, Dorset, is well preserved on a slab of laminated coccolith limestone and has been expertly prepared. Also, it comprises an almost complete skull in articulation with associated anterior vertebral column and dorsal ribs, complete pectoral girdle, fully exposed left forelimb, and some elements of the right forelimb. 

A new discovery 

Dr Etches thought that the teeth were unusual and therefore he passed it on to experts at the University of Portsmouth to identify. It was then when master’s student Megan Jacobs, who has also spent several years working on ichthyosaurs, identified it as the new species which lived nearly 150 million years ago.

The study says, “Ichthyosaurs were a successful group of large marine reptiles for most of the Mesozoic. The Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Formation exposed along the Dorset coastline at Kimmeridge Bay is famous for yielding exceptionally preserved vertebrates, including ichthyosaurs. A new museum in the village of Kimmeridge houses the now famous, but largely unstudied Etches collection that includes several new and important ichthyosaur specimens”. 

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(Outcrop and subcrop map of the onshore Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Formation, showing the locality of Kimmeridge on the English South Coast, and sea coverage over the United Kingdom during the Late Jurassic. Image Credits: Journals.plos.org)

(Grey areas indicating bones present. Scale represents 1 m. Image Credits: Journals.plos.org)

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Talking about the situation of skeletons, Jacobs said, “Skeletons of Late Jurassic ichthyosaurs in the UK are extremely rare, so, after doing some research, comparing it with those known from other Late Jurassic deposits around the world and not being able to find a match was very exciting”.

He added, “Thalassodraco etchesi is a beautifully preserved ichthyosaur, with soft tissue preservation making it all the more interesting. Steve’s incredible collection contains many new and exciting animals and being given the chance to describe this ichthyosaur was a real privilege”.

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(Image Credits: Unsplash)