Southampton features in prime time Sir David Attenborough documentary

A computer animation of the pliosaur produced for the programme. Credit: BBC Studios - Researchers from the University of Southampton are set to appear in a new BBC Natural History programme revealing the secrets of a giant pliosaur, a ferocious predator which inhabited our seas at the same time as dinosaurs roamed the Earth about 150 million years ago. Dr Katy Rankin talking to Sir David Attenborough during the filming - The documentary, titled 'Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster' (BBC One and iPlayer, 8pm, 1 January 2024), follows Sir David Attenborough on a journey of discovery as he explores the fascinating story of an enormous marine reptile whose skull was found buried on the Dorset coast near Kimmeridge Bay. Sir David speaks to top scientists across the UK as he unlocks clues about the creature's past - from understanding how it looked and behaved, to uncovering the strategies it used to hunt and kill its prey. His investigations lead him to the µ-VIS X-ray Imaging Centre at the University of Southampton, where scientists use their highly sophisticated scanning technology to investigate the snout section of the fossilised skull. Dr Neil Gostling with Sir David Attenborough. The µ-VIS equipment works in a similar way to a medical CAT scanner, but with greater power and at much higher resolution.