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Chris has found that there is fossilized skin
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Attenborough and the Sea Dragon

Chris has found that thereis fossilized skin over nearly the whole skeleton

Chris has found that there
is fossilized skin over nearly the whole skeleton

Full Transcript

00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:04.004
Chris has found that there is fossilized skin
00:00:04.004 --> 00:00:07.028
over nearly the whole skeleton.
Duration
7 seconds
Views
26
Timestamp in Movie
00:36:25
Uploaded
Jun 28, 2025
Genres
documentary
Production
BBC

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Movie Summary

Sir David Attenborough investigates the discovery of a 200 million year old Ichthyosaur on the Jurassic Coast in southern England.
MOORE: It seems to be virtually covering the whole thing. - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:04
MOORE: It seems to be virtually covering the whole thing.
ATTENBOROUGH: It's rare to find any sign whatever - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:08
ATTENBOROUGH: It's rare to find any sign whatever
Fiann Smithwick, an expert on fossilized skin, - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:07
Fiann Smithwick, an expert on fossilized skin,
SMITHWICK: We can look and see if there's any evidence - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:06
SMITHWICK: We can look and see if there's any evidence
ATTENBOROUGH: Fiann hopes that this remarkably preserved sample - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:09
ATTENBOROUGH: Fiann hopes that this remarkably preserved sam...
with-minute-particles-of-gold - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:13
with-minute-particles-of-gold
they-will-reflect-the-rays-of-a-scanning-electron-microscope - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:18
they-will-reflect-the-rays-of-a-scanning-electron-microscope
It's astonishing that you can actually see - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:06
It's astonishing that you can actually see
tens-of-thousands-of-times - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:12
tens-of-thousands-of-times
SMITHWICK: Here we have exceptional level - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:07
SMITHWICK: Here we have exceptional level
So the structures we're looking at here are around - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:05
So the structures we're looking at here are around
And a micro meter is one millionth of a meter, - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:09
And a micro meter is one millionth of a meter,
Now, melanosomes contain the pigment - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:12
Now, melanosomes contain the pigment
There's a large abundance of these melanosomes, - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:11
There's a large abundance of these melanosomes,
So it most likely had a much darker back than it did a belly - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:11
So it most likely had a much darker back than it did a belly
ATTENBOROUGH: You can see countershading - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:07
ATTENBOROUGH: You can see countershading
Both predators and prey are colored in this way. - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:04
Both predators and prey are colored in this way.
It makes it more difficult to see both from above and below. - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:05
It makes it more difficult to see both from above and below.
SMITHWICK: So this is the first time that we've actually seen evidence - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:07
SMITHWICK: So this is the first time that we've actuall...
ATTENBOROUGH: So that really is a step forward - Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 00:05
ATTENBOROUGH: So that really is a step forward