Plesiosaur Fossil Found in Bridgwater Bay
When local fisherman Nick Collard went fishing on the Bridgwater Bay National Nature Reserve he was not expecting to find a 1.5 metre-long sea creature, let alone one that had swam in the Jurassic seas 185 million years ago. Nick recognised that this new and exciting fossil was indeed a rare find, "I regularly walk this stretch of beach before and hadn't noticed it before" he said, "The tide must have washed away some of the silt to reveal the fossil. I rushed home to consult the encyclopaedia, and Taunton Museum later confirmed my once-in-a-lifetime discovery."
The museum had to act fast to save the fossil, and permission was sought from the landowner and English Nature to excavate it. Dennis Parsons, the museum's geologist was delighted. "Without Mr Collard's keen observation and quick-thinking this rare and scientifically important specimen would not have been rescued for the museum" he said. "Plesiosaurs are very rare fossils, so you would be very lucky to find even a single bone or tooth. Not only did he find a complete specimen, but it was fully exposed and beautifully preserved."
The recovery of fossil reptiles is a difficult but exciting process, and a rescue excavation was started immediately. Working with English Nature's Reserve Manager Robin Prowse, the museum field staff team worked tirelessly for hours in heavy rain to recover the complete skeleton. The fossil was excavated in four blocks, which also contained numerous fossil ammonites which were used to date it. Once recovered the fossil was taken to the Natural History Museum in London, where it was carefully washed to remove the salt, and dried very slowly so as to reduce flaking. It was then returned to Taunton and placed on temporary display while a geological conservator was selected to carry out the post-excavation work. A £21,000 fundraising campaign was also launched to pay for the work. The Museum would like to thank its funding partners and members of the public who together have raised £15,000 so far. The specimen is now undergoing preparation, conservation and study.
Plesiosaurs lived worldwide between 200 and 65 million years ago. They were air breathing marine reptiles that occuppied the warm seas of the Jurassic and Cretacious. There were many different forms, but this one had a turtle-shaped body, four paddles, a long neck and a small head. All were carnivorous, and this one was hunting prey in Somerset 188 million years ago.
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