A team of experts at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History is in the process of studying the fossilized skeleton of a rare, 18-foot-long plesiosaur that roamed the ocean approximately 165 million years ago and may be a new species of the ancient sea creature, according to the Daily Mail. After making the discovery in Peterborough at the same site as Britain's best preserved Bronze Age Settlement, the team of experts unearthed over 600 pieces of bone and have thus far spent 400 hours cleaning and repairing the fossil of the ancient sea monster, which has been nicknamed "Eve."
The fossil was discovered by Carl Harrington, an Oxford Clay Working Group member who noticed a bone fragment 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."
So far, the experts have determined that the creature had an 8-foot-long neck, barrel-shaped body, four flippers and a short tail. However, the skull still needs to undergo a proper examination before its characteristics can be properly analyzed, as it is still encased in clay, according to Cambridge News.
"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.
Plesiosaurs used to reign over the ancient oceans for more than 140 million years all the way from the Jurassic through the Cretaceous periods before they went extinct, along with the dinosaurs.
