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Fossils Of 'Sea Monster' That May Be New Species Found

By R. Siva Kumar | Update Date: Jan 23, 2016 03:18 PM EST

First, a team of experts at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History found the fossilized skeleton of an 18-foot-long plesiosaur that was living in the oceans approximately 165 million years ago. It might be a new species of the ancient sea creature, according to the Daily Mail.

The team found the fossil in Peterborough at the same spot as Britain's best preserved Bronze Age Settlement. Hence, the team unearthed more than 600 pieces of bone and spent more than 400 hours cleaning and repairing the fossil, which is just called "Eve".

Plesiosaurs were reigning over the ancient oceans for over 140 million years, right from the Jurassic through the Cretaceous periods before they became exinct, along with the dinosaurs.

Carl Harrington, an Oxford Clay Working Group member found the fragment which was protruding out of a piece of clay, The Peterborough Telegraph reported.

"I'd never seen so much bone in one spot in a quarry," he said. "As I was digging amongst the wet clay, the snout of a plesiosaur started to appear in front of me. It was one of those absolute 'wow' moments - I was the first human to come face to face with this reptile."

The creature seemed to have had an 8-foot-long neck, barrel-shaped body, four flippers and a short tail. Yet, the skull has to be examined better before it can analysed further, as it is still in clay.

"We are so excited that the plesiosaur has come to the museum where it will be used for research, education and display," said Hilary Ketchum, earth collections manager at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

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