While traversing the glacial slope comprising England’s eastern coastal cliffs, a duo of fossil enthusiasts from Yorkshire stumbled upon a remarkable discovery dating back approximately 180 million years.
In late summer last year, Mark Kemp, 34, a professional and self-taught fossil hunter and preparer, along with a friend who shares his hobby, ventured to explore the steep Holderness cliff, northwest of Hull, situated between the towns of Mappleton and Cowden.
This rugged coastal stretch, composed of chaotic sedimentary deposits left behind by ancient glaciers, is renowned for yielding bones from dinosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles. On that day, Kemp’s companion stumbled upon a glacial erratic—a chunk of foreign rock deposited from elsewhere—with a fossil that appeared exceptionally promising.
(Top left) Mark Kemp; (Bottom left) A glacial erratic containing the fossilized partial section of a temnodontosaur jaw; (Right) A section of cliff at Holderness, Yorkshire. (Courtesy of Mark Kemp)
“My friend was yelling at me for my opinion on something, and as soon as I saw the rock in question, I knew it was something special,” Kemp told The Epoch Times. “I immediately knew there were bones and teeth inside, and we both agreed that I should take the block and prepare it immediately.”
In his workshop in Hull, Kemp meticulously chiseled away at the rock, revealing millimeter by millimeter enormous conical teeth. What he uncovered was a partial section of the jaw of a temnodontosaur, a marine reptile from the Jurassic period predating even the dinosaurs.
In addition to its massive teeth, this apex predator of the marine realm possessed a sturdy and elongated snout, exceptionally large eyes for hunting, front and rear fins of roughly equal size for maneuvering, and a triangular dorsal fin. Its vertically aligned tail served as its primary propulsion.
A section of fossilized jaw and teeth from an adult temnodontosaur. (Courtesy of Mark Kemp)
“They were extremely large creatures that could easily have grown up to 40 feet,” Kemp told the newspaper, after consulting Dr. Dean Lomax, a leading marine reptile paleontologist. “They had enormous strength in their jaws, which have a crushing power greater than that of modern saltwater crocodiles. They sailed the seas about 180 million years ago and even predated the dinosaurs.”
Kemp discovered that this particular temnodontosaurus specimen belongs to a species known as an ichthyosaur and is “one of the best examples of this species from Yorkshire”.
The name “temnodontosaurus” itself translates from Greek as “sharp-toothed lizard.” Based on the size of this specimen’s teeth and jaw, it was estimated that it had a two-meter-long skull and would have been a full-sized adult.
Various stages of fossil preparation by mагk Kemp. (Courtesy of mагk Kemp)
As for Kemp, his decade-long fossil “hobby” has evolved into a profession: he operates a workshop from his home in Bransholme, where he meticulously prepares fossils, enhances their appearance, and preserves them for a paying clientele.
“Fossil hunting opens your mind to what life was like all those years ago,” Kemp said. “When you crack open a rock and uncover a fossil, you realize that you’re the only living human being who has seen that fossil.
“My dream is to venture to the farthest corners of the world to collect fossils and unlock the secrets of the past.”
Over the years, he has unearthed some remarkable remains, including dinosaur footprints, woolly mammoth bones, cave bear jaws, bison vertebrae, anemones, shells, corals, and sponges, all preserved in rocks from ancient times.
Kemp added jokingly: “My collection has grown at a somewhat alarming rate over the last three years, and I’ll soon find myself in need of a larger garage.”
Some more examples of Kemp’s fossil preparation work:
(Courtesy of mагk Kemp)
(Courtesy of mагk Kemp)
(Courtesy of mагk Kemp)
