Ichthyosaur Temnodontosaurus Trigonodon

3D Model

Also known as the Rutland Sea Dragon. Britain’s largest ever whole ichthyosaur yet discovered (~10m long)!

The ichthyosaur was discovered by Joe Davis, Conservation Team Leader at Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, who operates the nature reserve in partnership with Anglian Water, during the routine draining and maintenance of a lagoon at Rutland Water in January 2021.

The huge skeleton was carefully excavated in August and September 2021 by a team of expert palaeontologists assembled from around the UK, in partnership with Anglian Water, Rutland County Council and the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust. The excavation was led by ichthyosaur expert Dr Dean Lomax and expert conservator Nigel Larkin, along with marine reptile specialist Dr Mark Evans and vertebrate palaeontologist Dr Emma Nicholls from the Horniman Museum.

All the digital 3D models were created by the project digital 3D specialist Steve Dey, founder of ThinkSee3D Ltd.