Peering at the fossilised skeleton, I see something extraordinary. In among the 182-million-year-old ichthyosaur鈥檚 ribs are the remains of another, smaller reptile, probably another ichthyosaur 鈥� either a cannibalistic dinner or a fossilised pregnancy.
This fascinating specimen is on display as part of at the Natural History Museum in London until 3 January. The exhibition uses fossils, casts and video to tell the story of some of the fiercest ocean predators that ever lived.
You can stand face-to-face with the cast of an entire long-necked plesiosaur, its sinuous neck still seemingly searching for prey. There are also the large jaws and terrifying teeth from a crocodile-like short-necked pliosaur. You can even touch the tooth from a mosasaur, which lived a little later, in the Cretaceous. It is pointy but smooth, with gentle ridges indicating growth lines, if you鈥檙e wondering how it feels. Definitely not an animal you would want to come across.
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The detail in some of the fossils is breathtaking. I loved the ichthyosaur eye and the fish bone-studded poo from an ichthyosaur or plesiosaur. But my favourite was the fossilised angel shark that looked as though it could still be lying on the seabed, waiting for unsuspecting prey.
If you like spending time looking at fossils, I have two other places to recommend in the UK. The first is . Among its eclectic displays are some wonderful fossils that were discovered along the Yorkshire coast, including huge ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs that adorn the walls. Cabinets are filled with ammonites, belemnites and delicate plants collected over hundreds of years.
I also really enjoyed , with its drawers of fossils found on nearby beaches and information about fossil collector Mary Anning, who lived in the Dorset town. You can follow in her footsteps by fossil hunting along this stretch of coast or by walking from Monmouth Beach round to the , a ledge of rock embedded with thousands of ammonites. It is one of the most spectacular places I鈥檝e seen. It鈥檚 only visible at low tide, so make sure to check the tide times before you set off and leave plenty of time to return before the tide rises again.
