A tourist has stumbled across a rare fossil from one of the world’s oldest sea crocodiles on a British beach.
Heather Salt thought she had picked up a chunk of wood with nails sticking out when she first spotted the strange object on the shore.
But the amateur fossil hunter had actually uncovered a prehistoric relic dating back more than 200 million years.
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Heather, from Solihull, Birmingham, had headed to the coast hoping to add something new to her collection but never imagined she’d find such a historic treasure.
The remarkable discovery was made along the famous Jurassic Coast near Charmouth, as reported by Need To Know.
Experts later confirmed the fossil is linked to the so-called Charmouth Crocodile – part of the Turnersuchus hingleyae species.
The piece is part of the creature’s upper jawbone and is incredibly rare, with only 11 fossils from the species ever found.
The ancient reptile is believed to have been a slender predator, growing to around two metres long with a thin snout ideal for catching fish.
It would have spent most of its life in the water, only coming ashore to lay and protect its eggs.
The fossil – first discovered in 2017 – is now on display at the Lyme Regis Museum after its true significance was realised.
Heather had been taking part in a guided fossil walk organised by the museum when she made the find.
Guide Casey Rich said: “This is exactly why I love my role as a field palaeontologist and fossil walk guide.
“By teaching the basics, we give people the chance to make their own discoveries, and sometimes that leads to finds that are not only exciting, but important to science.
“Moments like this will remain with me forever.”
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