A near-complete skeleton found on Dorset's Jurassic coast has been identified as a new species of ichthyosaur, a type of prehistoric marine reptile that once ruled the oceans, BBC reported.

The dolphin-sized ichthyosaur has been named Xiphodracon goldencapensis, or the "sword dragon of Dorset" and is the only known example of its kind.

Scientists say that marks on its skull suggest that the "sword dragon" may have been killed by a bite to the head, possibly inflicted by a much larger species of ichthyosaur, according to BBC.