About the author

My name is Chloe Oliver and I am a palaeontologist focused on Ichthyosaur research and palaeopathology. I currently volunteer at the Nottingham Natural History Museum at Wollaton Hall working on general collection care, and a donated ichthyosaur specimen currently undergoing reconstruction.

Research

In 2022 I graduated from the University of Portsmouth with an Mres focusing on sauropod palaeopathology, and have continued to be active in research and hands on work in the meantime. Although my thesis focused on sauropods, throughout my education and afterwards I have maintained a strong interest in Ichthyosaurs, which has lead to me working on an ichthyosaur donated to the Nottingham Natural History Museum at Wollaton Hall.

Fluid Preservation

In July of 2023 I became accredited in the restoration, conservation and creation of fluid preserved specimens in a course lead by Simon Moore. I continue to use this knowledge in the conservation of fluid preserved specimens for the museum I volunteer at.

The specimen on the left was found unlabelled in a jar with shredded newspaper, which has now been cleaned, placed in a more appropriate container and fixed. It is now back in it’s home at Wollaton Hall.