By Steven McKenzieBBC Scotland
Highlands and Islands reporter
The fossilised skeleton of a 170
million-year-old Jurassic predator discovered on the Isle of Skye has been
unveiled in Edinburgh.
Named the Storr Lochs Monster,
the fossil of the sea-living reptile was found in 1966.
Fifty years on from the find,
scientists from the University of Edinburgh and National Museums Scotland are
preparing a detailed study of it.
It has been identified as being
from a family of animals called ichthyosaurs.
The ancient reptiles grew to
about 4m (13ft) in length and had long, pointed heads filled with hundreds of
cone-shaped teeth, which they used to feed on fish and squid.
The Storr Lochs Monster is the
most complete skeleton of a sea-living reptile from the "Age of
Dinosaurs" that has ever been found in Scotland, the researchers said.
Skye is one of the few places in
the world where fossils from the Middle Jurassic Period can be found.
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