Thousands of fossil enthusiasts visited Lyme Regis over the weekend as a popular festival returned.
Lyme Regis Fossil Festival took place on Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9 and has been hailed a 'roaring success'.
More than 10,000 visitors came into the town over the weekend to enjoy a range of activities, stalls and talks on fossils.
A brand new Mary Anning plesiosaur display was also launched at the Lyme Regis Museum to time with the festival.
READ: Book belonging to Mary Anning returned to Lyme Regis Museum
A book given to the famed fossil hunter, which was stolen from the museum 40 years ago, was also returned to the museum and went back on display over the weekend.
Festival organiser and Lyme Regis Museum director Bridget Houeago said: "This year we have delivered our most ambitious Fossil Festival programme to date and it's been wonderful to see families really enjoying everything that's on offer across the site and celebrating geological heritage of the coast around us.
"Thanks go to our supporters, sponsors and of course our visitors who helped make this year's event such a roaring success."
As well as the fossil displays inside the museum - which was free to enter - a series of expert talk were held at The Hub, and documentaries were shown at the Marine Theatre, which included a Q&A from Dr Steve Etches and Chris Moore about the 'Sea Rex' fossil discovered in Dorset made famous by a BBC documentary.
READ: Dorset locals praises new David Attenborough documentary
Along the beachfront there was also a series of exhibitions set up and activities for kids to get involved with along the way.
Emma Bishop had travelled from Cornwall with her two children Harvey and Wesley and were enjoying colouring in dinosaur masks.
She said: "It's brilliant and it is lively there are lots of activities for the kids."
Harvey added his favourite part was seeing the massive Spinosaurus skull on display in one of the marquees.
Suzanne and her daughter Rose had travelled down specifically for the festival and Rose was enjoying sifting through rocks looking for tiny fossil with an expert on hand to teach her about what the fossils meant.
READ: Postcards from Dorset: Florida family's fun with fossils
She said: "This is why we came to Lyme Regis, it is fascinating and we are really enjoying it.
"It is our first time but we have already said we will be coming back next year."
Seven-year-old Nina Duthuit, from Lyme Regis, was also enjoying playing fossil bingo and talked about her favourite part of the festival - and a rather unusual fact she had learned.
She said: "My favourite part was the lucky dip - I got an ammonite.
"I have really enjoyed finding new things to learn - I didn't know about dinosaur vomit before."
Visitors also got the opportunity to try out some of the equipment used to clean up fossils.
Kate and Mihai, from Zoic Palaeotech, based in Sherborne, were displaying their specialist pneumatic tools and accessories which they produce for museums, professionals and amateurs across the world.
The 'air pens' use compressed air to chip away at rocks to unearth the fossils hidden within them.
Kate said: "It is a great festival and a way for everyone in the fossil community to get together.
"The air pens are like mini jack hammers and everything you see in Lyme Regis will have used one of our pens."
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