The skull of a colossal sea monster has been extracted from the cliffs of Dorset's Jurassic Coast. It belongs to a pliosaur, a ferocious marine reptile that terrorised the oceans about 150 million years ago.
The 2m (6ft 5in)-long fossil is one of the most complete specimens of its type ever discovered and is giving new insights into this ancient predator. The skull will be featured in a special David Attenborough programme on BBC One on New Year's Day.
Local palaeontologist Steve Etches said: 'It's one of the best fossils I've ever worked on. What makes it unique is it's complete. The lower jaw and the upper skull are meshed together, as they would be in life. Worldwide, there's hardly any specimens ever found to that level of detail.'
The pliosaur was the ultimate killing machine, at 10-12m long with four powerful flipper-like limbs. Dr Andre Rowe from Bristol University said: 'I have no doubt that this was sort of like an underwater T. rex.'
The fossil was discovered by Phil Jacobs during a stroll near Kimmeridge Bay. A drone survey pinpointed the location in the cliff, requiring a dangerous abseil excavation. Scientists from across the globe will study the fossil to gain fresh insights into these reptiles.
Palaeobiologist Prof Emily Rayfield has examined the skull's large openings, indicating jaw muscles that could generate a bite force of about 33,000 newtons, more than double that of a saltwater crocodile. The snout's small pits may have helped detect water pressure changes from prey.
