🔗 Share this article Fossil Discovered on UK Shoreline Represents One-of-a-kind 'Sword Dragon' Type Sea dragon experts with the 185 million year old skeleton An almost intact skeleton found along the Jurassic Coast has been classified as a new species of ichthyosaur, a variety of ancient marine reptile that once dominated the oceans. This marine creature ichthyosaur has been named Xiphodracon goldencapensis, or the "blade serpent of Dorset" and stands as the only known example of its kind. The skull of the "blade serpent" displays a massive eye socket and marks that point to it may have been assaulted by a different larger ichthyosaur Scientists report that marks on its skull suggest the "sword dragon" may have been fatally wounded by a attack to the head, potentially inflicted by a significantly bigger type of ichthyosaur. First discovered by a prolific fossil hunter at Golden Cap in Dorset in 2001, the recently identified ichthyosaur was later acquired by a museum in Canada. Only in recent times been fully analyzed by specialists and a paper published identifying it as a new species of ichthyosaur. "I thought long and hard about the name," stated ichthyosaur expert Dr Dean Lomax, who co-authored the paper classifying the fossil as a novel type. "Xiphodracon translates to sword-like dragon and that refers to that extremely elongated, sword-like nose, but also the fact that ichthyosaurs have been called sea dragons for about 200 years." This is what ichthyosaurs may have looked like. The shown species is a shonisaurus which could grow to more than 15 metres in length. Ancient Marine Life Ichthyosaurs are classified as marine reptiles, not dinosaurs, because they spent their lives in the water. This particular ichthyosaur is thought to have inhabited the oceans about 185 million years ago, a period from which extremely rare ichthyosaur fossils have been found. "During this time ichthyosaurs are incredibly rare, and Xiphodracon is the most complete individual ever found from there, contributing to close a gap," Dr Lomax said. "It's a missing piece of the mystery in ichthyosaur development." Unique Characteristics Researchers estimate the creature measured about 3m long and has several features that have not been seen in other species of ichthyosaur. Researchers report the strangest feature is a prong-like bone near its nostril The skull has an exceptionally large eye socket A long sword-like snout that it used to eat fish and squid Life and Death There are also clues as to how this specific specimen lived and died. "Its fins and dental structure are abnormally shaped in such a way that indicates significant trauma or illness while the creature was still alive," said study co-author Dr Erin Maxwell. "The skull seems to have been bitten by a large predator - likely a different much larger species of ichthyosaur - providing a cause of death for this specimen. Existence in ancient seas was a risky situation." The discoverer found the 'blade serpent' in cliffs at Golden Cap in Dorset after a storm Discovery and Analysis This "sword dragon" was discovered in 2001 by paleontology enthusiast Chris Moore and then acquired by the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada where it took more than 15 years to be fully analyzed. "I don't wish to blow my own ichthyosaur trumpet but I have discovered a number of them," Mr Moore said. The precise count he's discovered is somewhere in the region of 15, with multiple of them, like the "blade serpent", turning out to be previously unknown types. Mr Moore says he is intending to commemorate the new discovery but has yet to decide precisely what form the celebration will take. "Champagne or a mug of tea, I'm undecided at this moment," he says. The 'sword dragon' is among many ichthyosaur fossils that have been found along Dorset's Jurassic Coast since the first discoveries of pioneering palaeontologist Mary Anning in the early 1800s.