Experts had many challenges collecting evidence for the UK's largest paleontological find ever. The discovery of the ichthyosaur or "sea dragon" was not as easy as the casual unearthing of other creatures in the past. The scholars were met with numerous problems, incukding vulnerable pieces, fossil thieves, and an immense amount of droppings from birds.
Ichthyosaur: UK's Largest Fossil Discovery
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 19: People take photographs of a model of a Mosasaurus on the South Bank on October 19, 2015 in London, England. The model dinosaur formed part of the launch of Jurassic World which was released on Blu Ray and DVD today.
Despite all of the obstacles that had seemingly made the discovery impossible, the ichthyosaur was displayed to the public at last. The prehistoric animal has one of the largest fossil catches to date. Major parts of the ocean-dwelling reptile were gathered from the Rutland Water last year.
It was discovered in February 2021. With almost one year of studies revolving around the ichthyosaur, experts had already finalized their theories for the animal. The most significant finding of the British paleontology community was then assembled and released to the public for viewing.
Conservation expert Nigel Larkin said in a BBC report that preserving the ichthyosaur was not a typical activity witnessed in other research. Upon keeping the remains of the 10-meter creature intact, scientists encountered both natural and human-induced challenges.
The area of Rutland where the ichthyosaur was found is currently a bird sanctuary. With that said, the scholars had to spend the initial excavation shoveling a massive amount of bird poo. Larkin explained that the first steps of extraction were blocked by this problem for at least three weeks while protecting their devices and wearing uneasy gloves throughout the process.
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Challenging Preservation of the Huge Sea Dragon
Larkin added that when the project began, the team had strict protocols to follow. They knew that once people had the idea of the discovery, there could be unwanted activities that may follow, among the expected attacks that could appear during paleontological discoveries as major as the ichthyosaur is a raid led by fossil thieves.
The expert said that trophy hunting of fossils is still conducted in many places. As soon as they hear major scientific excavations, these people will attempt to capture specimens and sell them online. Larkin added that chances of a raid might not be predicted, but it was best for their team to go on secrecy before they released reports of the discovery to the public.
Just when the experts got a full picture of the fossil, the cleaning phase for the 180 million-year-old fossil required intricate procedures. It is due to the brittle structure of the remains that, when touched in a wrong approach, could crumble and destroy its entirety. Even though it is hard to lift the whole collection of bones out from their original place, the experts decided to push it through to keep its structural integrity.
The remains of the ichthyosaur were completely fossilized, with huge chunks of stone built around it. The thick layer was made of clay baked under the sun since the Jurassic period, making the extraction much harder for the scientists.
The details of the skeleton were recorded with a lot of methods, including 3D imaging that assembled the fossil theoretically. Throughout the series of observations, the spinal part of the ichthyosaur was suspected of having been scavenged earlier before its discovery.
According to Larkin, phase one is the digging part. Phase two is the studies of the ichthyosaur, which is currently ongoing. Phase three would be to complete the theories and structural assembly of the creature itself. The first two phases were made in part with the efforts from The Pilgrim Trust, Rutland County Council, Anglian Water, the Rutland and Leicestershire Wildlife Trust, and the Palaeontographical Society.
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