Jurassic Giant - The Largest Marine Reptile Skeleton Ever Unearthed in Britain

1. Main Image. Dr Dean Lomax with the ichthyosaur courtesy of Anglian Water - The fossilised remains of Britain's largest ichthyosaur, colloquially known as a 'Sea Dragon', have been discovered at the Rutland Water Nature Reserve, owned and run by Anglian Water. It is the biggest and most complete skeleton of its kind found to date in the UK and is also thought to be the first ichthyosaur of its species found in the country. The ichthyosaur was discovered by Joe Davis, Conservation Team Leader at Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, who operates the nature reserve in partnership with the water company, during the routine draining and maintenance of a lagoon at Rutland Water in January 2021. Joe Davis, who discovered the remains, said: "The find has been absolutely fascinating and a real career highlight, it's great to learn so much from the discovery and to think that this amazing creature was once swimming in seas above us and now once again Rutland Water is a haven for wetland wildlife albeit a little smaller!" Dr Dean Lomax, a palaeontologist and a Visiting Scientist at The University of Manchester , who has studied thousands of ichthyosaurs and named five new species, said: "It was an honour to lead the excavation and unearth this Jurassic giant from its ancient rocky tomb. Britain is the birthplace of ichthyosaurs - their fossils have been unearthed here for over 200 years, with the first finds to be recognized by science dating back to Mary Anning and her discoveries along the Jurassic Coast.