Fossil hunter uncovers incredibly rare piece of world’s oldest sea crocodile

• An amateur fossil hunter, Heather Salt, discovered a rare fragment of an ancient marine crocodile's upper jaw bone during a guided walk on the Jurassic Coast.
• The discovery was made along the Lyme Regis shore in Dorset and was initially mistaken for wood with nails by Ms Salt.
• Palaeontologist Dr Paul Davis from Lyme Regis Museum identified the find as a very rare crocodylomorph specimen, belonging to the same type as Turnersuchus hingleyae.
• Only around 11 specimens of this early Jurassic marine crocodile, fully adapted to sea life, have ever been recorded, making Ms Salt's find highly significant.
• Ms Salt donated the fossil to the Lyme Regis Museum, where it is now on public display as part of an exhibit.

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Amateur fossil hunter uncovers rare chunk of world’s oldest sea crocodile