Lyme Regis/Dorset ichthyosaurs

[Still_human]

I’ve been trying to find out what ichthyosaurs are found in Dorset, from the Lyme Regis, but I’m having quite a bit of trouble. I’ve found sites that list the species of different types of animals found at certain locations, but I can’t find anything like that about “Dorset” or “Lyme Regis”. At the moment I’m interested in finding out out the ichthyosaurs, but in the past I’ve looked for the same thing about plesiosaur/pliosaur, and croc species, so that would be great if anyone had information about pretty much any species of reptiles found there. Thanks very much for any and everyone’s time and effort! As always, it’s extremely appreciated!

[Pterygotus]

Look through the Jurassic coast fossil finder . It’s species like ichthyosaurus communis and quite a few others including temnodontosaurus. Most ichthyosaur bones from the Dorset area are just listed as ichthyosaur or marine reptile.

[Mark Kmiecik]

Also, Google Mary Anning and read all you can find. She pioneered fossil hunting in the Lyme Regis area, and was responsible for the early discoveries there.

[The Amateur Paleontologist]

I'm also quite interested in Dorset Jurassic marine reptiles  

Here's a list of plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs - it's mostly based on Fossils from the Lower Lias of the Dorset Coast (a field guide by the Palaeontological Association), and also a few other research papers:

 

Ichthyosaurs

• Ichthyosaurus
  • I. communis
  • I. breviceps
  • I. conybeari
  • I. anningae
• Leptonectes
  • L. tenuirostris
  • L. solei
  • L. moorei
• Temnodontosaurus
  • T. platyodon
  • T. eurycephalus

Plesiosaurs (including pliosaurs)

• Plesiosaurus
  • P. dolichodeirus
  • 'Plesiosaurus' macrocephalus (although this one is a rhomaleosaurid pliosaur, not actually belonging to the genus Plesiosaurus)
• Anningasaura lymense
• cf. Microcleidus homalospondylus
• Eurycleidus arcuatus
• Attenborosaurus conybeari

Edited April 10, 2020 by The Amateur Paleontologist

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

Hi Christian,

 

While I'm not sure whether this species might not already have been described for the Lyme Bay area since your original compilation of the excellent list above, I think we can now add the ichthyosaur Excalibosaurus costini to the overview. Having had a look at the related, but younger, Eurhinosaurus with respect to some French teeth I happened across, I discovered that I actually have a similar tooth in my collection from Lyme Regis. Dating means that this tooth cannot be Eurhinosaurus, but has to instead be Excalibosaurus costini.

 

 

A second tooth in my collection I had issues identifying shares some important morphological features, although those are less prominently visible (especially on a photograph). I'll thus not post images of it here. Interestingly, the tooth figured above was identified as plesiosaurian when purchased, so there may be more teeth of this ichthyosaur, currently considered rare, out there, once people start looking