| Administrative History | The fossil, the most complete 'crocodile' when it was found in 1818, was owned by Lt-Col Thomas James Birch, who is likely to have acquired it from Mary Anning. The actual specimen, along with Birch's collection, was sold in aid of Anning and her family. The skeleton was purchased by the Royal College of Surgeons for the sum of £100, however it was destroyed in an air raid in May 1941. |