This is the prehistoric predator that swam in the waters off Scotland 170 MILLION years ago.

The giant predator - named the Storr Lochs monster - has finally been unveiled by scientists after the fossilised skeleton of the dolphin-like animal was found on the Isle of Skye in 1966.

It had been preserved in National Museums Scotland’s storage facility for 50 years but a partnership between the museum, the University of Edinburgh and energy company SSE has now enabled the fossil to be extracted from the rock, creating a clearer picture of what the dinosaur looked like.

Experts say the fossil is from the ichthyosaurs group and the reptile would have been around four metres in length with a pointed head and hundreds of cone-shaped teeth used to feed on fish and squid.

It is said to be the most complete skeleton of a sea-living reptile from the dinosaurs age that has ever been found in Scotland.

Palaeontologists hope it will help to reveal how ichthyosaurs evolved during the middle Jurassic period.

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Roaming ground: The animal roamed the Storr Lochs millions of years ago (Geograph)

Dr Steve Brusatte, from the University of Edinburgh’s School of GeoSciences, said: “Ichthyosaurs like the Storr Lochs monster ruled the waves while dinosaurs thundered across the land.

"Their bones are exceptionally rare in Scotland, which makes this specimen one of the crown jewels of Scottish fossils.

"It’s all thanks to the keen eye of an amateur collector that this remarkable fossil was ever found in the first place, which goes to show that you don’t need an advanced degree to make huge scientific discoveries.”

The fossil was discovered on a beach near the SSE Storrs Loch power station by the facility’s manager Norrie Gillies, who died in 2011 aged 93.

Once analysis of the fossil is complete, it will go on display at a number of locations, including SSE’s new visitor centre at the Pitlochry dam.

Skye is one of the few places in the world where fossils from the middle Jurassic period can be found and it has been referred to as "Scotland’s dinosaur island”.

Top pic: PA