THE Museum in the Park in Stroud are about to put on display an amazing 180 million old Ichthyosaur which was originally discovered in Lyme Regis,Dorset.

The fossilised baby Ichthyosaur has been freshly cleaned and conserved, and will form the centrepiece of a temporary display from May 30- June 2 which will allow visitors to explore the underwater environment that this creature lived in.

Discover what an Ichthyosaur ate for lunch, as well as the other creatures and plant life that shared its watery world.

With artistic representations of how the Ichthyosaur lived, plus the fossilised remains of the Ichthyosaur and its contemporaries this exhibition is not to be missed.

Ichthyosaurs are dolphin-like ‘fish lizards’ and were first made famous by the celebrated lady fossil collector, Mary Anning of nursery rhyme ‘she sells sea shells by the seashore’ fame.

Although numerous examples of these predatory marine reptiles are known there are very few ‘baby’ examples on public display.

Pete Lawrence of the Gloucestershire Geological Trust said: "The specimen at the Museum in the park is a virtually perfect example of a very young individual and shows beautifully all the characteristic features. It may not be the biggest but it is certainly ‘very cute’ indeed."

  • The Museum in the Park, Stroud, Drop In Family Workshop: The Watery World of the Ichthyosaur from Tuesday, May 30- Friday, June 2. 11am - 4pm £2 per child suggested donation.
  • Make your own diorama of the watery world of the Ichthyosaur. Make your own ammonites, belemnites and plant life to populate your under-sea scene in this themed craft activity which allows you to explore the scientific evidence for the life of the Ichthyosaur alongside your own creativity.