Plant Fossil Wood
An exceptionally well preserved piece of wood from the Triassic rocks of the East Devon coast. Details are not available at this stage on strata, location etc,
Fossil Finder Database 2022
Belemnite
This fossil is the ‘phragmocone’ of a belemnite and it fitted within a ‘V’ shaped hole in the guard (shell). The phragmocone was composed of a series of chambers containing a mixture of gas and water. By changing the relative amounts of the two, the creature could adjust its depth in the water. This specimen…
Triassic reptile
One of only three This tiny, tiny skull (the scale is 1cm) is only the third of its type known from the Triassic rocks of East Devon. The other two are both different species so this is certainly a hugely important specimen to science that has as yet to be described. It belongs to the…
Belemnite
This is one of the longer belemnites found in the Lyme Regis rocks. Belemnites are one of the commonest fossils found around Lyme Regis and Charmouth, but there are many different types – from short, fat forms to this extremely long and thin example.
Plant Fossil Wood
The perfect impression of a piece of wood complete with knots and burrs
Turtle
Under the shell This is the earliest known specimen of the turtle genus Hylaeochelys from Europe. Unlike most other turtles in our database, this example is preserved with most of the carapace (shell) missing. What we see instead are the flattened vertebrae and ribs that once supported the scutes that formed the carapace. Bottom left is a piece…
Ichthyosaur
These are the bones from a front fin of an ichthyosaur (skull shown below it). The fin is incomplete, but still measures around 40cm in length. The complete bony part of the fin would have measured around 60-70cm, and with the soft parts around the bones nearer to a metre.
Ichthyosaur
This close-up shows some of the stomach contents of this ichthyosaur. Between the ribs are black, shiny curved hooklets from the tentacles of a squid (towards the right). These hooklets are often found among the stomach contents of ichthyosaurs, as well as fish scales, and the bones of other reptiles.
Ichthyosaur
This close-up picture shows part of the posterior rib cage of an ichthyosaur (full specimen shown below it). Beneath the ribs you can see a rough tube of material. This substance is known as cololite ( the name for fossil poo when still inside the animal ) and traces out the shape of part of the…