THE fossil remains of the dinosaur closely associated with the myth of the Loch Ness monster have been found in the cliffs by the North Yorkshire coast.

Experts have uncovered a plesiosaur - which lived on the Earth 132 million years ago - at a location between Scarborough and Filey.

The remains of the creature, which is affectionately known as a "sea dragon" were extracted during a painstaking two-week dig.

It has been labelled a "missing link" by palaeontologists who say that much is known about the creatures, which were plentiful more than 180 million years ago.

However, the dinosaur had disappeared from the time line for up to 100 million years before the next discovered remains.

Dr Phil Manning, palaeontologist at York's Yorkshire Museum who co-ordinated the dig, said the Filey find - in the middle of the creature's "missing years" - was a stunning discovery.

"The plesiosaur is what the Loch Ness monster was modelled on.

"It has a long swanlike neck with diamond-shaped paddle feet. It is about 12 to 15ft long," he said.

"We know a lot about these creatures from 180 million years ago, but then they disappear from view.

"We next find them 100 million years later. So this is right in the middle of the twilight years for this animal. It's a very important find."