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Plesiosaur Fossil Baffles Boffins

Left: this is the fossil found at Loch Ness,
a section of a plesiosaur's backbone.



© BBC News Online Scotland.

 Shows a close-up view of four fossilised vertebrae, lodged in rock.

It's been a busy week for Nessie, Scotland's most famous (and very shy) monster. Gerald McSorley, a tourist from Stirling, discovered a rare fossil in shallow water at the edge of Loch Ness. This discovery made the news as far away as Australia.

There have been many sightings of the Loch Ness monster over the years, but so far nobody has been able to prove that there really is a huge sea monster in the deep, murky lake.

A painting, in greys and blues, of a large, long sea reptile with four flippers, a fat body, a long neck and a tiny head.

Right: an artist's idea of how a plesiosaur might have looked underwater.



©The Natural History Museum.

Some people believe that Nessie could be a type of Plesiosaur. These were large, meat-eating sea reptiles that lived many millions of years ago and that scientists believe are extinct.

Others believe that if there even is a creature in the lake, it can't be a Plesiosaur (or even a close cousin) and must be an eel or maybe a turtle.

Left: experts are still working on this plesiosaur.

© Leicester City Museums.

 A fossilized plesiosaur skeleton, in many parts, spread out on a white surface, clearly showing the shape of the animal.

So, when Mr McSorley's fossil turned out to be a Plesiosaur bone from about 150 million years ago, it was very exciting. Could this be proof that Loch Ness was home to families of Plesiosaurs millions of years ago?

Sadly, it seems not. Dr Lyall Anderson, a curator from the National Museum in Edinburgh examined the fossil. He doesn't think it is originally from Loch Ness. Speaking to Show.me.uk he said:
"I believe Mr McSorley found the fossil there in good faith, but I know it came from somewhere else."

A plesiosaur skeleton mounted in a display case with an inflatable toy plesiosaur hanging above it to give an idea of how it might have looked when alive.

Right: the 'Barrow Kipper' on display at New Walk Museum.

© Leicester City Museums.

The fossil has many tiny holes in it caused by little sea sponges, salt water and limestone on the seashore. This tells us it has spent a very long time in salt water. How it got to the fresh water of Loch Ness is a mystery.

It isn't all bad news though. Dr Anderson was very impressed with the fossil, wherever it came from.
"It's a superb fossil" he said. "Mr McSorley should be congratulated on spotting it."

Left: this fossilised sea reptile was found by Mary Anning in Victorian times.



© The Natural History Museum.

 Shows the head and upper body of a fossilized sea reptile embedded in a dark background.

There are many museums all over the country with wonderful fossils in their collections, including some Plesiosaurs, or sea dragons as they are sometimes known.

At the Museum of Scotland you can see a model of a Plesiosaur along with fossils in their 'Beginnings' gallery. At The Natural History Museum in London there is a wall full of sea reptile fossils found by a Victorian fossil hunter called Mary Anning. She found her first full dino skeleton aged eleven!

Shows a collection of dinosaur skeletons silhouetted against a white wall.

Left: the Dinosaur Gallery at the New Walk Museum, Leicester.



© Leicester City Museums.

In Leicester at the New Walk Museum they have a Plesiosaur that is 190 million years old, known locally as the 'Barrow Kipper'. They are also launching the BBC's 'Walking With Dinosaurs' exhibition on July 19th, which is chock full of dino goodies to see, hear, touch and play with.

Warrington Museum and Art Gallery has a Jurassic gallery that includes a moving model of their oldest local resident - a dinosaur that used to roam the area.

There are dinos and fossils in museums all over the UK, some of them found here, others from abroad. Why not check out your local museum for prehistoric monsters?