WESTBURY Museum will soon be hosting a special exhibition, including a replica of the lower part of the six-foot jaw, of the prehistoric sea monster that used to roam the Westbury area 150 million years ago.
Next week, pliosaur expert, Dr Judyth Sassoon of Bristol University, will also present a talk entitled, ‘The Pliosaurs of Westbury’ at the Methodist Church in Station Road, on Tuesday 26th July. Admission for the talk is just £5.
The eight-metre pliosaur was discovered in 1994 and is the world’s only example of a new species of pliosaur, named pliosaurus.
After excavation, it was taken to Bristol Museum where it has been studied by Bristol University. The museum nicknamed the pliosaur “Doris” and the replica of her jaw bone will be loaned to Westbury for the exhibition from Monday 1st August until Monday 15th August, from the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.
Local artist, Alex Prowse, has created his own version of the Jurassic sea monster to take pride of place next to the Westbury monster.
Alex’s artwork is one of several illustrations and information boards on show for the exhibition which features facts about the find, the life of the pliosaur and pictures of its prey.
Children will be able to measure themselves against the giant jaw bone to see if the pliosaur could have snapped them down in one bite! There will also be information packs and a colouring competition.
Everyone is welcome and admission to see the replica jaw bone is free. Find out more at www.westburyheritagesociety.org.uk
The creature had eyeballs the size of saucers and was top of the food chain as it swam in warm tropical Jurassic seas around 150 million years ago.
The ancient creature would have been between 8 to 8.5 metres long, the length of a bus, with sharp teeth the size of bananas, four huge flippers and crushingly powerful jaws. The pliosaur is thought to have been the ultimate underwater predator.
The fossil is what is known as a holotype – the first and currently the only known example of the species and is known as Pliosaurus carpenteri after Simon Carpenter, the amateur geologist who found it.
Westbury Museum is open on Monday 2-6pm, Tuesday and Friday 9.30am-5pm and Saturday 9.30am-1pm.
