Fiann Smithwick

Fiann Smithwick Instagram – Following on from my last post, this is the full ichthyosaur fossil I found many years ago on the Jurassic Coast. I found the skull in a small cliff fall in summer and could see where the rest of the fossil was in the cliffs. I had to wait as the bit of the cliff was too dangerous to attempt an extraction, which would have also required permission. Luckily, a few months later, that bit of the cliff fell, revealing the rest.
🗿🌊🗿
I was a bit disappointed to see that most of the body was missing, but it’s still a cool and rare fossil! It’s strange that the skull is so well preserved while the body is scattered, which might mean it nose dived into the muddy sediment on the Jurassic seafloor after it died. This would have kept the skull away from scavenging and reduced decay while the body was still exposed.
🐬🦈🦖🌊
#fossil #fossils #art #geology #palaeontology #paleontology #paleo #curiosity #ancient #history #collect #collection #animal #animals #evolution #science #museum #jewel #collecting #treasure #jaw #jaws #tooth #teeth #rare #dinosaur #age #dinosaurs #ichthyosaur #bones | Posted on 06/Jun/2022 23:44:08