Attenborough and the Sea Dragon

On the placid shore of southern England, a Jurassic ocean once stretched for 100 miles from Devon to Dorset, and was home to the Ichthyosaur, a huge, fearsome "fish lizard"—or sea dragon—that dominated the waters for 150 million years. In filmmaker Sally Thomson’s PBS-aired Nature documentary produced by BBC Earth, Sir David Attenborough looks at the rapidly eroding cliffs where fossil hunters dredge secrets that are often unearthed after turbulent sea storms. The early dragons were air breathers, birthed live young, boasted keen eyesight, and originally migrated from the land, becoming the ultimate predator in terms of jaw power. The creature traveled widely in search of prey, eating anything it could find, and even cannibalizing its own species. To the great excitement of the fossil hunters here, bones are uncovered in the cliff in a rare find that is mostly complete, but missing the head. Remains are sent to the lab for analysis, including fossilized dung droppings, which could reveal what these monsters ate. The dragon’s bite was twice as powerful as that of a saltwater crocodile, and more information is presented on its mode of navigation, use of paddles, body size and shape, and similarities to modern sea dwellers such as the dolphin or Indonesian crocodile. Despite its fearsome presence, this "king of the Jurassic sea" died out for reasons unknown millions of years ago (Attenborough and others speculate that it fell victim to an even bigger predator). A captivating scientific mystery-adventure, this is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)