Monster Plesiosaur Verts

[DanJeavs]

I said to myself at the start of the year, I’d try to find more bone, rather than just ammonites. Well, last week I hit the jackpot of rarities here on the Yorkshire coast. Plesiosaur vertebrae. Now, marine reptile bone is quite rare here as a whole, Ichthyosaur comes out every now and then, but plesiosaur, pliosaur, and crocodile are MUCH rarer. So imagine my shock when I see a vert, pick it up, and it’s plesi. Then, I find a second, that slots on perfect, then, a third about ten metres away that also fits together. Straight onto the beach they went. 
I penned off the little shale matrix the had one them, then it was straight into the blasting cabinet to be abraded. I can’t even over exaggerate how easy this prep was. First vert took a total of twenty minutes of abrading and was finished. Second vert took about the same amount, and the third took around an hour due to some pyrite limestone, that seemed to because from a bivalve that are washed inbetween the rib attatchments. The preservation is ridiculously good, like, you don’t get much better for here. 
I have been back today to see if any

More have come down, but my trip was fruitless (picked up plenty of ammonites of course). I think they’re sat in the cliff going inwards, so just a case of waiting for them to fall, they’re around 50ft up in the cliffs I believe. Hopefully I’ll get more soon! 

[minnbuckeye]

Deserving of a chance to win fossil of the month. Just a thought!!

[rocket]

wow, incredible! I was there several times, really... To find one vertebrae is rare, a good one very rare, three very good ones fitting together..., fantastic!!!

[Meganeura]

Wow those are gorgeous verts!

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

I've seen @LiamL find quite a bit of fossil bone on the Yorkshire coast around Whitby, but I don't think I've ever seen him pulling anything off this sort off!  That's an absolutely stunning row of vertebrae! As you said, the preservation is just wonderful! Sizeable beastie too, seeing as these are cervicals. Who knows, with a bit of luck the skull might still be up in that cliff as well...! 

 

12 hours ago, minnbuckeye said:

Deserving of a chance to win fossil of the month. Just a thought!!

 

Awesome find! And I agree, definitely FotM-material 

[mr.cheese]

Well done finding those, couldn't have fallen into better hands. Prepped and fettled within the day!

 

I am not sure how much it would be niggling away at me that there could be a head about to pop out the cliff there! Straight down like a shot after any sign of rain!