The skull of a prehistoric sea monster found on the Jurassic Coast has made it into the world record books.
The 2m-long (6ft) skull of a pliosaur, excavated from high above a beach in Dorset, was the subject of a BBC film presented by Sir David Attenborough.
Guinness World Records confirmed it was the “most complete” of its type on the planet.
It said it was about “95% complete by surface area”, with “previously unobservable details” of the genus.
The snout of the pliosaur was discovered in 2022 by fossil enthusiast Philip Jacobs, prompting an excavation involving teams suspended by ropes high above the beach.
Sir David investigated the discovery in a BBC filmbroadcast on New Year’s Day.
It is now on display at the Etches Collectionmuseum in Kimmeridge.
Founder Dr Steve Etches is crowdfunding to recover the rest of the 150-million-year-old creature that remains embedded in the fast-eroding cliff face.
bbc
