Pterosaur jaw (OUMNH PAL-J.028251)3D Model
Lyme Regis, Dorset, England. Lower Jurassic. (~200 million years old).
Elizabeth Philpot kept many pterosaur specimens in her collection, including this lower jaw fragment complete with tiny teeth. The fossil belonged to the pterosaur Dimorphodon macronyx, the first fossils of which were found by Mary Anning in 1828.
Renowned palaeontologists William Buckland and Richard Owen took great interest in Elizabeth’s collection, illustrating her pterosaur jaw alongside Mary’s partial skeleton when they described the species in 1829.
This fossil also provides an example of the mounting method frequently used by Elizabeth to present her fossil finds. The jaw was inlaid in plaster set within a wooden box, which was then covered in paper tape. Elizabeth’s handwritten label is still in place.
Specimen: OUMNH PAL- J.028251 Collections Online: https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/collections-online#/item/oum-catalogue-786976
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