Considered the greatest triumph in the history of British palaeontology, the recent discovery of a giant fossil in the Midlands is the largest complete fossil ever found in the United Kingdom.

The fossil, claimed to be an Ichthyosaur or Sea Dragon, is estimated to be 180 million years old and has a skeleton 10 metres long and a skull weighing one tonne.

This Ichthyosaur animal is said to be able to grow up to 82 feet or approximately 25 meters! It is called a sea dragon because it has large teeth and eyes and the first fossil of the ‘Sea Dragon’ animal was discovered by paleontologist, Mary Anning in the early 19th century.

The largest and most complete fossil was discovered by Joe Davis from Leicestershire while carrying out work draining a lagoon in the Rutland waters in February 2021.

Ichthyosaurs were called sea dragons because they had large teeth and eyes, and the first fossils of this ancient animal were discovered by paleontologist Mary Anning in the early 19th century.

Ichthyosaurs  are reptiles and are believed to have lived around 250 million years to 90 million years ago.

According to paleontologist Dr. Deam Lomax, although many Ichthyosaur fossils have been found in Britain, the latest fossil discovery is the most amazing.