Fossil Facts > Plesiosaurs

Plesiosaurs are another group of marine reptiles which are known to have been present in the Jurassic oceans of Lyme Regis, living alongside the ichthyosaurs. However, here in Lyme Regis fossils of plesiosaurs are rarer than that of ichthyosaurs, which may reflect the balance of the ecosystem of that time.

The plesiosaurs had four flippers, a relatively small tail and a contrastingly long, slender neck with a small, lizard like head at the end (very like the reconstruction of the mythical Loch Ness Monster).

Of the plesiosaurs known from the Lyme Bay area, the commonest and most iconic is Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus, which was the very first complete skeleton of a plesiosaur ever found. This was discovered by Mary Anning in 1823. This skeleton is on display at the London Natural History Museum, but a lifesized photo banner of the specimen is on display up the stairs to the geology gallery where an array of other plesiosaur fossils can be seen.