A campaign has been launched to have a dinosaur featured in Sir David Attenborough’s latest feature documentary named after the amateur fossil hunter who found it, following complaints it was “airborshed” from the BBC programme.
Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monsterwhich received widespread acclaim, was criticized for only mentioning the finder of the pliosaur skull, Philip Jacobs, in the credits at the end of the show.
Jacobs said he was shocked and complained on his Facebook page: “I was completely blown away by my own discovery, not even a mention. I do not have words.”
He noticed the fossilized snout of the 150m-year-old pliosaurus during a beach walk at Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset, in April 2022. His discovery sparked a painstaking project to excavate the rest of the 2 meter (6 ft 5 in) skull from the cliffs documented by Attenborough and the BBC. The specimen is believed to be a new species of pliosaur.
Jacobs (69), an artist and textile designer, provided video footage of the moment the fossil was discovered and was presented by the BBC but during the film he was only referred to as a “fossil enthusiast”.
A petition a call for greater recognition for Jacobs attracted more than 600 signatures within 24 hours of being launched.
Author Anna Morrell, who started the petition, said: “This find is being cited as one of the most important fossils ever found. It is unique. It’s big. This is significant.
“Yet Philip’s name is effectively erased from the historical record. Time and time again, those with power and influence reduce or delete the names of lesser-known citizen scientists from the record. The fossil should be named after him, and the BBC should edit the program to add his name.”
Dr Dean Lomax, a palaeontologist, author and presenter, said: “Philip Jacobs deserves a huge amount of credit, not just for making the discovery, but for ensuring that it was saved for science. It is ‘ a real oversight for them [BBC] not to – at least – check Philip.”
Wolfgang Grulke, a palaeontologist based in Dorset, said: “Obviously this has happened before, starting with our own Mary Anning. Collectors are also important.” Anning was a 19th-century fossil hunter whose work usually went uncredited in a male-dominated field.
Archaeologist Phil Eyden sent a sympathetic message to Jacobs: “Credit where credit is due… The world owes you a huge debt for recovering this fossil. The BBC owes you an apology, it won’t make up , but I hope you get one. However, your contribution to science will not be forgotten, regardless of the BBC’s editorial decision.”
Jacobs, from West Bexington, Dorset, has been a keen fossil hunter for 40 years. He was with his partner, Helen, when he spotted what initially looked like a funny rock. When he looked closer, he knew it was the snout of a pliosaurus. Rather than take the fossil home with him, Jacobs buried it and marked the spot with some driftwood and sought help.
The expert Steve Etches helped unearth the rest of the pliosaur fossil. This week the sample continued displayed at the Etches Museum in Dorset and was seen by almost 500 visitors on day one, a record number.
A BBC spokesman said: “The production team worked with Philip Jacobs to include his discovery footage in the documentary and he was credited at the end. This program mainly concerns the excavation, preparation and scientific analysis of the complete pliosaur skull.”
