The fossil found on Dorset's Jurassic coast has been identified as a new species of ichthyosaur, a type of prehistoric marine reptile that once ruled the oceans.
The dolphin-sized ichthyosaur has been named Xiphodracon goldencapensis and is the only unique example of its kind.
According to the scientists, this discovery suggests that the “sword dragon” may have been killed by a bite to the head, potentially inflicted by a much larger species of ichthyosaur.
Initially it was discovered by a palaeontologist at Golden Cap in the Desert in 2001, and the new ichthyosaur was then acquired by a museum in Canada.
In this connection, ichthyosaur expert Dr Dean Lomax said, “ Xiphodraon translates to sword-like dragon and that is in reference to that very long, sword-like snout but also the fact that ichthyosaurs have been referred to as sea dragons for about 200 years.”
Ichthyosaurs are categorized as marine reptiles, not dinosaurs, and they spent their lives in the water.
This particular ichthyosaur was thought to have swum the seas about 185 million years ago.
The unique “sword dragon” was thought to have been 3 meters long and possessed several features that have not been seen before.
Scientists have revealed that the strangest species is characterized by a skull with an enormous eye socket and a long sword-like snout used for hunting fish and squid.
Fossil hunter Chris Moore said that this sword dragon was discovered in 2001 and then acquired by the Ontario Museum in Canada where it took more than 15 years to completely analyze it.
The discovery of the unique “sword dragon” fossil on the Dorset coast is a significant addition to the study of ichthyosaurs.
Moore is planning to celebrate the discovery but hasn't yet decided how.
Nonetheless the study of prehistoric marine life has confirmed the discovery of an unknown species of ichthyosaur with highly unusual features.
