‘Sea dragon’ with one-tonne skull unearthed in lagoon

A gigantic prehistoric “sea dragon” discovered in central England has been described as one of the greatest finds in the history of British palaeontology. The ichthyosaur, which is about 180m years old with a skeleton measuring about 10 metres in length and a skull weighing about a tonne, is the largest and most complete fossil of its kind ever found in the UK. Joe Davis of the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust discovered it during the routine draining of a lagoon island at the Rutland Water reservoir in February 2021. The first “sea dragons”, named for their large teeth and eyes, were discovered by the fossil hunter Mary Anning in the early 19th century.