JURASSIC DORSET
The Jurassic Coast Gallery
Dorset County Museum opened its new Jurassic Coast Gallery in 2006 thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The existing Geology gallery was completely transformed into a state-of-the-art, 185 million year 'walk through time'.
Designed as a focal point for all visitors to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, the Gallery charts the full 95 miles of coastline from Exmouth in Devon to Old Harry Rocks in Dorset.
Visitors to the Gallery can learn how the coast was formed and why it is so important. This fascinating geological story is delivered through touch, sound, text, and interactive displays, and at levels to suit all ages and all abilities.
Displays show visitors what past environments were like - for example, in the Cretaceous Period the Jurassic Coast was flooded by a vast tropical sea. Visitors can also find an enormous Pliosaur flipper, and discover the story of Ammonites - an important group of fossils used to tell how old rocks are. Another display shows us an Ichthyosaur fossil - ichthyosaurs were fierce predators in Jurassic seas with powerful tails and formidable teeth. Our two flying Pterosaurs are also sure to be the centre of much attention!
A section of the pliosaur's fossilised lower jaw bone.
The Weymouth Bay Pliosaur
A new species of pliosaur and the largest marine predator ever found has arrived at the Jurassic Coast gallery.
A massive 15 metres long, its powerful jaws could have bitten a car in half!
GALLERY HIGHLIGHT
Ichthyosaur (Leptopteryguis tenuirostris)
The Ichthyosaur in the Jurassic Coast gallery at Dorset County Museum is known by all the Museum’s staff and volunteers as ‘Marty’- but no one knows why he is called this is or how it came about!
Marty is about 192 million years old and was found at Lyme Regis on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. Ichthyosaurs were a carnivorous, dolphin like reptile that lived in warm seas. Although Marty is almost 2 metres in length he is only really a baby! 140 teeth have been recorded in the lower jaw of this species, and 156 backbones have been counted.