A rare treasure
This tiny specimen is extremely rare. It’s the top jaw and skull of a flying reptile, Dimorphodon, one of only four known specimens. They’ve been found no-where else except Lyme Regis. Mary Anning found a near-complete specimen in 1828 and at the time it was the first UK discovery of a flying reptile or pterosaur.
Fossils of flying reptiles and birds are very rare because they have light, hollow bones. If the animal died over water, it was likely to float and be washed ashore or be eaten by other animals, rather than sink to the sea bed to become fossilised.
