Dorset and East Devon residents will soon have a unique chance to get up close and personal with a 190-million-year-old marine reptile. An ichthyosaur (ik-thee-o-sore) fossil found near Charmouth in West Dorset will be on show in a display travelling throughout the Jurassic Coast over the next twelve months. The first chance to see the display will be at Lyme Regis Fossil Festival this weekend - a mere four kilometres from where the fossil reptile was originally discovered.

The fossil was unearthed two and a half years ago by Dr Paul Davis from the Natural History Museum, where the ichthyosaur now resides as part of the national collection. Since its discovery Museum experts have carefully conserved and prepared the ichthyosaur for an at least temporary return to its former home along the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. The specimen was found in an unusual location for this type of ichthyosaur and may yet prove to be a new species.

‘It's a real thrill to see the ichthyosaur going on show for the first time, so near to where it was found,' says Dr Paul Davis from the Natural History Museum. ‘The Jurassic Coast holds a wealth of stories about life millions of years ago and this display highlights how new finds are continually adding to our understanding of the fossils already looked after by the Museum.'

The ichthyosaur display will be in the Marine theatre in Lyme Regis from  4 - 6 May and will then move to the Lyme Regis Community Resource Centre for two weeks, followed by spells in both Seaton and Sidmouth libraries. The tour will then continue in East Devon until the autumn, and then back to Dorset until next May. The full list of venues will be confirmed soon and each will be well publicised locally.

Dr Sam Rose from the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Team said ‘We are looking to put this excellent display into venues in which you might not normally expect to see this type of thing, such as libraries. We are hoping people will go in for a book or a CD and come out understanding a bit more about the history of the Earth.'

The display will feature the fossilised skeleton of the ichthyosaur with two accompanying panels of information about the Jurassic Coast and the fossils that are found there, as well as how the Natural History Museum works on this coastline.  It will also provide an opportunity to highlight local museums and visitor centres where people can find out more about the outstanding and globally important natural heritage of their coastline. 

The display is part of a long-term partnership between the internationally renowned museum and the Steering Group for Dorset and East Devon's natural World Heritage Site - the Jurassic Coast. It is fitting that the fossil will make its return to the coast at the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival, another collaboration where world-class experts from the Museum will be on hand to identify fossils, talk about why they form and what they can tell us about the development of life on Earth.

 Notes to editors:

• Winner of the 2006 Independent award for the UK's favourite museum, gallery or heritage attraction at the Museum and Heritage Awards for Excellence, the Natural History Museum is also a world-leading science research centre. Through its collections and scientific expertise, the Museum is helping to conserve the extraordinary richness and diversity of the natural world with groundbreaking projects in 68 countries.

Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site

• The Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site - more commonly known as the Jurassic Coast - is England's first and only natural World Heritage Site. The Site is a 95 mile stretch of the south coast from Exmouth in East Devon to Studland in Dorset. It was awarded World Heritage Site status in December 2001 by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) because of its outstanding Earth science interest. It is the only place on Earth where 185 million years of the Earth's history are sequentially exposed in dramatic cliffs, secluded coves, coastal stacks and barrier beaches. The ‘tilt' of the rocks creates a unique ‘walk through time' from 250 million to 65 million years ago, through the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods as you walk eastwards along the Site.

Contact details:

Jurassic Coast:  Sam Rose, sam.rose@dorsetcc.gov.uk 01305 225101, 07748 074926

Natural History Museum press team: Chloe Kembery, c.kembery@nhm.ac.uk  020 79425881, 07799 690151