Unearthing the Rutland Sea Dragon, a Jurassic giant from the age of the dinosaurs

A chance find, a race against time, and a Jurassic giant from the age of the dinosaurs. In January 2022, news broke of one of the greatest finds in British palaeontological history, a 10-metre-long giant ichthyosaur found in Rutland. The discovery rocked the world. The ‘Rutland Sea Dragon’, as it came to be known, represents the largest complete skeleton of an ichthyosaur or any prehistoric reptile ever found in the UK. Join excavation leader, Dr Dean Lomax, as he talks about the discovery and excavation of this extraordinary Jurassic giant.

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Dr Dean Lomax is a multi-award-winning palaeontologist. A leading world expert on ichthyosaurs (extinct marine reptiles), he led the excavation of the ‘Rutland Sea Dragon’ in 2021, a 10-metre-long giant ichthyosaur considered one of the greatest finds in British palaeontological history.

Dean’s books include Dinosaurs of Britain and most recently Locked in Time. He regularly appears on TV as an expert and presenter and won a gold medal for excellence in science at the Houses of Parliament in 2015.

Dean received his PhD from the University of Manchester and is a Visiting Scientist there.