Prof Ichthyosaurus presents: Getting inside an Ichthyosaur's Skull

Earlier this month, were it not for the adverse circumstances, the BRLSI Collections team had planned to open their annual thematic exhibition. For 2020 we had developed at reprise of Jurassic Ark, first shown in 2014. Jurassic Ark was a display and exposition of fossils from our unique collection from Strawberry Bank in Ilminster, Somerset, now updated with recent research findings and a report of our 2019 excavation.

In lieu of a physical exhibition here is one of the prize exhibits, an exquisitely preserved ichthyosaur skull of the genus Hauffiopteryx.

m1399_web.jpg

To learn about how this skull has been studied using modern scientific techniques watch our video installation: Professor Ichthyosaurus  presents ‘Getting inside an Ichthyosaurs Skull’

Video editing by Dan Deegan

BRLSI thanks Professor Mike Benton, Dr Benjamin Moon, and Ryan Marek for their work in organising and undertaking this research. We also thank the Leverhulme Trust and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation for funding study of the Strawberry Bank Lagerstätte, and Lorie Barber for her preparatory work on the fossils.

• The specific research outlined in this video was published in Palaeontology here
• A scholarly review of the Strawberry Bank Lagerstätte can be found in the Journal of the Geological Society here
• Background information on Strawberry Bank and our work though the Jurassic Ecosystem of Strawberry Bank Project can be found on our own site here

Music provided via https://freemusicarchive.org/ under creative commons licences

Track 1 (00:14-03:13) ‘Horses’ by Pictures of the Floating World

Track 2 (03:13-05:42) ‘Recalling’ by Blear Moon

Track 3 (05:42-09:03) ‘Ash Gray’ by Pictures of the Floating World