Title: Head of an ichthyosaur (Temnodontosaurus platyodon)

Creator: Engraved by James Basire after drawing by William Clift

Description: Engraving of the ichthyosaur skull (Temnodontosaurus platyodon) found by Joseph Anning (1796-1849) in the autumn of 1811. His younger sister Mary Anning (1799-1847) would find the vertebrae and the ribs of the same creature in November 1812. This creature was the siblings’ first major find and although fragments of ichthyosaurs had been found before, this particular specimen initiated the first scientific description of these dolphin-like, marine reptiles by Everard Home (1756-1832) in 1814. From Home, E, “Some account of the fossil remains of an animal more nearly allied to fishes than any of the other classes of animals”, ‘Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society’, vol 104 (1814), pp571-577 

Date: 1814

Format: Engraving

Image reference: 27-01

Recommended print size: Up to 16 x 12 inches (40 x 30cm)