Sir David Attenborough and Steve Etches examine the fossilised snout of a pliosaur. Picture: BBC Studios

Sir David Attenborough BBC show features “momentous” pliosaur discovery in Dorset

Paul JonesDecember 11, 20230 Comment0

SECRETS of the deep from 150 million years ago are being revealed on the Dorset coast as part of a new BBC show featuring Sir David Attenborough.

When dinosaurs ruled the Earth, they also ruled the seas, and one monster species in particular was a feared predator.

The pliosaur – known as the Tyrannosaurus Rex of the seas – measured up to 12m long and weighed up to a whopping five tonnes.

With a bite up to twice the size of a great white shark, complete with 130 razor sharp teeth, the pliosaur was a formidable foe for any sea-bound creature.

A recreation of a pliosaur attacking an icthyosaur. Picture: BBC Studios

And now, fossil hunters and dinosaur experts are finding out more than ever about this sharp-toothed seagoer, thanks to a discovery on the Dorset coast.

Their efforts are followed in a new BBC documentary – Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster – which sees Sir David join the investigation into a “discovery of a lifetime”.

For a pliosuar skull was found 12 metres up in a cliff face at Kimmeridge Bay.

An avid fossil collector since he was a young boy, Sir David said he has never come across a find quite like this.

The show unfolds as scientists and palaeontologists seek to unravel the skull’s mysteries, searching for clues about how the fearsome beast not only looked but how it behaved, and the strategies it used to hunt its prey.

“Cutting-edge visual effects sequences bring the sea monster to life, showcasing its astonishing size – thought to be an incredible 12 metres long – and its phenomenal strength,” said a BBC spokesperson.

The pliosaur skull found in Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset. Picture: BBC Studios

“A momentous new discovery, scientists now believe this could be a completely new species of pliosaur.”

They added: “Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster will combine ground-breaking science, fascinating natural history with gripping storytelling, and state-of-the-art CGI to explore the tale of the most formidable predator of the Jurassic world – one that hunted in the seas just off the coast of Britain.”

Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster will be broadcast on BBC One at 8pm on January 1.