Pliosaur “Sea Monster” with a 2-Meter Skull Extracted from Jurᴀssic Coast Cliffs

A colossal pliosaur skull measuring nearly 2 meters (6 ft 6 in) long has been painstakingly extracted from the towering cliffs of Dorset’s Jurᴀssic Coast, revealing one of the most complete and fearsome marine predators ever discovered from the Late Jurᴀssic.

The specimen, nicknamed “Sea Rex,” was first spotted in 2022 when beachcomber Philip Jacobs found a fragment of the snout on the shingle at Kimmeridge Bay. Alerting renowned collector Dr. Steve Etches, the team traced the rest of the skull to a precarious position 11–15 meters up the cliff face. After weeks of rope-access excavation in 2023, the near-intact cranium—complete with around 130 razor-sharp teeth—was safely removed.

Dating to approximately 150 million years ago (Kimmeridgian stage), the fossil comes from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation. The animal likely reached 10–12 meters in total length, with a short neck, powerful paddles, and a bite force capable of crushing prey. Sensory pits on the snout suggest it could detect water pressure changes from approaching victims, while varied tooth shapes optimized grip and replacement ensured lifelong hunting prowess.

The skull is now on permanent display at The Etches Collection museum in Kimmeridge, where it holds a Guinness World Record as the most complete pliosaur skull known. It featured prominently in the 2024 BBC documentary Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster, narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

This extraordinary find underscores the Jurᴀssic Coast’s unparalleled fossil wealth and offers scientists a rare window into the anatomy and ecology of the ocean’s top predator just before the end of the dinosaur age. As Etches continues searching for the rest of the body, “Sea Rex” reminds us that Britain’s ancient seas harbored true monsters.