Giant Ichthyosaur Fossil Found on the Dinosaur Coast.

The giant prehistoric ichthyosaur fish lizard fossil found on the Charmouth / Lyme Regis Jurassic coastline.

The giant prehistoric ichthyosaur fish lizard fossil found on the Charmouth / Lyme Regis Jurassic coastline.
Is Tony Gill another Mary Anning?

 | Mary Anning | Tony Gill | images | Congratulations |

Congratulations to Mr. Tony Gill of Charmouth Fossils
by Richard J. Fox M. B. E.
Lyme Regis, Dorset, UK  historian and ex Town Crier

Tony Gill's recent find the biggest ichthyosaur fish lizard fossil of 40ft. length is of international significance
The very nature of the terrain surrounding Lyme Regis and it's neighbour Charmouth can be likened to a double edged sword. The outcrops of Blue Lias, a sedimentary rock from the Jurassic period, is extremely unstable, especially where it meets the erosive force of the sea and bad weather. Landslips are a regular occurrence, erosion is continuous. This causes headaches for landowners and coastal defense departments. With this constant erosion, geologists and fossil hunters are regularly rewarded with new and exciting finds.
The first lady to take a scientific interest was Mary Anning, born in Lyme Regis in 1799. At the tender age of 10 years, she and her brother Joseph found the first recorded ichthyosaur fossil, her 18ft specimen became world famous.
Mr. Tony Gill has recently found a massive 40ft specimen, the biggest ever found. It will take many months of painstaking work to finally reveal the 180 million year old monster hidden in its rocky grave.
It is through the dedicated work of enthusiasts world wide that a greater understanding of the development of our planet is revealed.

MARY ANNING AND TONY GILL

Mary Anning the famouse collector.
Mary Anning learned how to collect  ichthyosaur fossils from her father. She prepared and sold them to institutions and collectors.
To find out more about her visit these sites, you can then click back on your browser to return to this page:
http://www.sdsc.edu/ScienceWomen/anning.html
http://www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk/fossils.htm

Tony a modern collector from Dorset, UK
Tony Gill has hunted for fossils most of his life. He prepares and sales them at his shop, Charmouth Fossils.

To find out more about him, visit his site:
The drawing of a specimen  example of plesiosaur fossils  by Mary Anning, found by her in 1823 in the blue Lias at Lyme Regis. This was a completely new species known to the world.

Specimen Plesiosaur fossils

Giant fish lizard from the time of the dinosaur.

An artists' impression of a plesiosaur swimming in the Jurassic seas when the dinosaur roamed.

A specimen for the collector.s Found recently.

Giant fish lizard from the time of the dinosaur.
An artists' impression of an  ichthyosaur swimming in the Jurassic seas.

Tony Gill found his ichthyosaur (photograph at top of this page) during the Easter of 2000, after several day of heavy rain caused a slip on the coastline at Charmouth. He plans to show the preparation of the fossil at his shop, as he does it, on his web site:
http://www.charmouthfossils.co.uk
If you are interested in learning more then visit Tony's site or take a field trip with a local geologist.

 | Mary Anning | Tony Gill | Images | Congratulations |