A man was left stunned after discovering bones that turned out to be the remains a dinosaur that died at least 90 million years ago.
54-year-old Jon Gopsill is a dog lover and an archaeologist-at-heart who was walking with his pets when he came across unusual remains.
As the man, who works as a nurse, explained, the skeleton was much larger than he initially believed it to be as it measured 5.5 feet in length.
Following his finding, Gopsill did his research and concluded that the skeleton must have belonged to an ichthyosaur, a prehistoric marine reptile.
If the man’s suspicions are true, the skeleton should be at least 90 million years old, as ichthyosaurs are believed to have thrived during the Jurassic era and haven’t gone extinct until 90 million years ago.
After taking pictures of the discovery, the man has also approached the Somerset Heritage Centre and the National History Museum.
“I have always been a bit of an amateur fossil hunter and I have found a good supply of ammonites, so I always keep my eyes open,” he said.
“I often go to the beach walking with my dogs and when the tide goes out we go out to the rocks because they like playing there.
“We were at the beach when I saw this thing and thought, ‘What’s that?’ so I went a bit closer and thought, ‘Wow.’”
As the 54-year-old, he sadly wasn’t able to find the animal’s head anywhere near. However, he did uncover a large portion of the beast’s skeleton.
“It doesn’t have a head, I have looked around but I can’t find it. I thought it was obviously a fossilized sea creature, possibly an ichthyosaur. It has been there for at least 65 million years,” he explained.
“I realized straight away that it was amazing, museum-quality stuff – as soon as I saw it I knew I found something special.
“I was just blown away to see it there. It really is incredible that is has survived for such a long time and is now just there for everyone to see.”
What are your thoughts on this story? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to SHARE this post with your family and friends and follow us on Facebook for more news and stories!
Replaced!