Description
The rarest things on Earth were formed by the most ordinary processes, repeated for eons. The Jurassic coast of Dorset — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — erodes continuously, releasing marine reptile remains from Kimmeridgian clays (155 million years old). A plesiosaurian vertebra is diagnostic: the distinctive hourglass shape, with a central channel for the notochord, identifies an animal whose lineage includes the long-necked forms that inspired the Loch Ness myth.
This specimen originates from Kimmeridge Clay, Dorset, England, one of the world’s most significant localities for this type of material. Collectors and scientists have drawn from this region for generations, and for good reason: the combination of geological conditions here produces specimens of exceptional quality and clarity.
Every specimen is unique. Photographs approximate the visual experience, but the real thing — its weight, its luster under a raking light, the way it catches the corner of your eye — can only be experienced directly.
