Head of an ichthyosaur

Head of an ichthyosaur (Temnodontosaurus platyodon), engraved by James Basire after drawing by William Clift. The ichthyosaur skull was found by Joseph Anning (1796-1849) in the autumn of 1811. His younger sister Mary Anning (1799-1847) would find the vertebrae and the ribs of the same creature in November 1812. This creature was the siblings first major find and although fragments of ichthyosaurs had been found before, this particular specimen initiated the first scientific description of these dolphin-like, marine reptiles by Everard Home (1756-1832) in 1814

Picture No

14154633

Media ID

45863592

Size

5103px x 3228px (1.7MB)

Credit

Source

Geological Society of London. From Home, E, aeSome account of the fossil remains of an animal more nearly allied to fishes than any of the other classes of animalsn, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society', vol 104 (1814), pp571-577 - Image reference: 27-01

Date

1814