From the lower Jurassic (circa 200-176 million years ago), the 41 3/4-inch long skull of a Temnodontosaurus sp. of the Ichthyosaur genus showing impressive three-dimensionality, notably to the orbicular cavity and dozens of teeth lining the jaw, the specimen prepped in shale matrix with numerous small ammonite specimens, the largest 2 inches in diameter.
55¹⁄₂ x 25³⁄₄ x 1¹⁄₄in. (141 x 65 x 3cm.)

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Lot Essay

The first complete Ichthyosaur skeleton was found by Mary Anning at Lyme Regis in 1811 (an Ichthyosaurus communis). The order Ichthyosauria was introduced in 1840 by Sir Richard Owen, and today about 80 species are recognised. They take their name from the Greek for "fish lizards" and are an excellent example of convergent evolution. It is thought that they evolved from land based lizards moving into the sea, eventually converging on the shape of the fish upon which they preyed.