Ichthyosaur murder in the Late Jurassic of Dorset: Whodunnit?

Ichthyosaurs were marine reptiles which looked a bit like modern day dolphins. They were common in the Late Jurassic, warm tropical oceans which once covered Dorset and much of England.

Several years ago, Steve Etches collected two large rock slabs in which he could just make out a few bones of a possible ichthyosaur. After careful preparation and reassembly back in the workshop the front part of the skull and snout of an ichthyosaur were uncovered.

For a while he wondered where the rest of the skull was and then he noticed bite marks and broken pieces of bone which suggested some larger predator had bitten the ichthyosaurs head clean off and the remains of the skull had fallen to the seabed to be collected later (157 to 152 million years later !) by Steve.

Watch the full story by clicking on the You Tube video link below where this discovery and murder mystery is discussed in more detail.

The Etches Collection Museum is located in Kimmeridge, Dorset on the World Heritage Coast and contains a nationally accredited and designated collection of over 2500 fossils from the Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Formation. The collection provides a major resource for education and research as well as being a major tourist attraction.