Roam Research
fromElite Traveler
2 days agoThis Dutch Collector Turned His Home Into an Incredible Fossil Museum
A lifelong fascination with river fossils grew into selective, high-value acquisitions of ancient specimens.
A skeleton discovered on Dorset's Jurassic coast has been identified as a new species of prehistoric marine reptile that once ruled the oceans. The dolphin-sized ichthyosaur, called Xiphodracon goldencapensis or the Sword Dragon of Dorset, is the only known example of its kind in existence. Thousands of ichthyosaur fossils have been found along the Jurassic Coast, but scientists say this particular fossil helps to fill an evolutionary gap.
An Australian fossil enthusiast has uncovered the 'most complete' skeleton of a gargantuan dinosaur-age sea creature ever found in the country. The almost entirely intact ichthyosaur skeleton was unearthed about 100km south of McKinlay, on Toolebuc Station in western Queensland, by local landowner and fossil enthusiast Cassandra Prince after she noticed a tiny bone poking above the dirt. Experts say the 90 per cent intact skeleton measuring 7.1metres in length is one of the most scientifically valuable marine fossils ever found.