Mountaineer who began fossil hunting after near-death experience discovers rare 'sea dragon'
Summary
A mountaineer named Matthew Myerscough survived an avalanche and then took up fossil hunting to help him recover from trauma. While searching on beaches in Wales, he discovered a rare sea dragon fossil that had never been found in Wales before.Key Facts
- Matthew Myerscough was caught in an avalanche on Snowdon in 2014, where he was buried under snow for 20 minutes.
- He developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after the accident.
- To manage his stress and recovery, Myerscough began fossil hunting on beaches at Lavernock Point in the Vale of Glamorgan.
- He found a plesiosaur jawbone, a marine reptile fossil from the Jurassic period, about 200 million years old.
- This fossil, identified as a rhomaleosaurus or “sea dragon,” had not been found in Wales before.
- Myerscough works as a civil engineer and compares fossil hunting to mindfulness activities like yoga or watching a film.
- He has written a book called "In Search of Sea Dragons" about the experience of finding fossils.
- Research on the fossil is still ongoing with the National Museum Cardiff.
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