Dinosaur fossil found in pensioner's garden rockery

A grandfather told of his shock at discovering a 135-million-year-old dinosaur fossil in his garden rockery.

Published: 7:30AM GMT 27 Feb 2010

John Ruggles, 75, first found the priceless Plesiosaur fossil when he dismantled the garden feature nine years ago.

But while the unusual stone caught his eye, he assumed it was just an ''odd shaped'' rock and moved it around his garden as an ornament, eventually leaving it in his greenhouse.

It was only when curiosity got the better of John in December that he decided to send the sandstone-like rock to his local museum, who identified the startling find.

Last week stunned John was told the results, which showed it was part of a Plesiosaur's paddle bone from the Jurassic period in ''stunning condition''.

Experts described it as ''very rare'', as it has been so well preserved that blood vessels are still visible in the 12 by 8 inches (20 by 30cm) rock.

Retired British Gas meter reader John, who lives with wife Eileen, 70, in a two-bed bungalow in Downham Market, Norfolk, said it was lucky he never threw it away.

He said: ''When we moved in I thought it seemed different to any other rock I had seen but I didn't know what it was so I just left it in the garden.

''But we were curious about it for a number of years and I thought I'm going to find out about it.

''When my daughter read out the letter we just couldn't believe it was a bone, and the age of it as well – you just can't think of something being that old.

''To think it was just sitting in the garden for all those years!''

It was only on December 4 last year that he decided to show the rock to experts at local Lynn Museum in King's Lynn to see if they could shed any light on its origin.

John told them he thought it was just a rock, but receptionists at Lynn Museum sent it to experts at the Sedgewick Museum of Earth Science in Cambridge for testing.

He returned from a holiday in Florida with his family to find a letter from the museum informing him that the rock was a 135-million-year old fossil.

The letter informed him that the 'rock' was a paddle bone from a Plesiosaur, a marine reptile that lived in the Jurassic period over 144 to 65 million years ago.

Father-of-two John told the museum they could have the rock if it turned out to be of interest and he will be donating the rock to the museum's permanent collection.

But before he donates the rock he is arranging for his granddaughter Emily Ruggles-Brown, seven, to take the rock into school for a show and tell.

John added: ''When it goes into the museum people will be able to go and see the bone but not touch it.

''But it's the beauty and excitement of touching something so old that makes it really special.

''I have been handling it for nine years or more but other people haven't had the chance – but I'd never sell it. It belongs in the museum.''

Lynn Museum, which houses a collection of 4,000 year old timbers from Norfolk's Bronze Age timber circle, are looking forward to taking possession of the new artefact.

He said: ''You can still see the blood vessels on the bone itself which is very rare. Usually it's just bone that is preserved rather than fleshy parts.

''It was a chance in a million that he found it in his garden and it's a very nice specimen indeed – we will be extremely pleased to have it in the museum collection.''

The carnivorous Plesiosaurus was a large marine reptile which fed on fish and small reptiles with an extremely long neck and tail and four flippers to propel itself through the water with a ''flying'' motion.

The ocean dweller and could grow to lengths of up to 13m (40 ft) is known to have lived from the late Triassic period, through the Jurassic period and into the late Cretaceous period.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7328197/Dinosaur-fossil-found-in-pensioners-garden-rockery.html