After three years of hard work from the Jurassic Coast team, the Dorset County Museums Service and partner museums the Jurassic Life project is approaching its end.
There are a few loose ends to tie up, but the most spectacular event in the initiative occurred on July 8th at The Dorset County Museum when Sir David Attenborough, supported by the Jurassic Coast team’s own great communicator Richard Edmonds unveiled the Weymouth Bay pliosaur.
As readers will no doubt be aware, the pliosaur, a marine predator from the Jurassic, is the fossilised skull of the most powerful predator ever to live on earth. There is arguably a larger fossilised skull from a similar creature in Australia, but much of this skull ids reconstruction. Our skull is 95% complete and this, apart from its size makes it truly exceptional.
But Jurassic Life is about much more than the pliosaur, exceptional fossils have been supplied and displayed in all the museums within the Jurassic Coast Museums Partnership, including Sidmouth, Lyme Regis (the home of palaeontology) Bridport and Portland museums, as well as the Dorset County Museum. Jurassic Life has also included a varied education programme, very ably delivered by Anjana Ford, Jurassic Coast Education Coordinator.
It’s difficult to see how the Jurassic Coast’s museums can top this – but we’ll try!
David Tucker, Dorset County Museums Adviser
