A 180-MILLION-YEAR-OLD "sea-dragon" fossil is being called one of the UK's best-ever fossil finds.

Scotland is a hotspot for those looking to step back in time and there is a rich history of fossil discoveries.

Here's where those looking to enter dinosaur country should start...

Skye

Few places in Scotland are home to as many dinosaur destinations as the Isle of Skye.

Take a trip to Staffin’s An Corran beach where you can find dinosaur footprints left 165 million years ago.

The prints were left by a species named ornithopods which could grow up to 50ft in length.

While you’re there, you might as well go and visit the Staffin ecomuseum, where you can learn more about the many fossils discovered in the local area.

Bearsden Shark

If you're visiting the central belt or stay there, and aren’t looking to travel too far, then the Bearsden Shark is the trip for you.

The fossil can be visited in the museum of The Hunterian at the University of Glasgow Gilmore campus.

The site where the 330-million-year-old relic was found is also worth a visit, at the manse burn in Bearsden.

Fossil Fish of Caithness

What was once a massive lake is now home to Achanarras Quarry.

The site is home to Devonian fish fossils which were persevered in silt 385 million years ago.

Grab a leaflet and explore a period where Scotland stood south of the equator.

The Hand-Beast of Blackwaterfoot

If you find yourself in Arran, make sure to visit the rare prints of the chirotherium, a 12-foot-long crocodile-like creature.

A walk along the King’s Cave coastline will provide visitors with an education into a time long ago.

Alongside the reference to the ancient reptile, walkers can explore caves with markings that date back to the iron age.

A little bit of history...

Not all of Scotland’s archaeological landmarks can be visited.

Last year, teams discovered a one-billion-year-old microfossil that could alter our perception of the earliest forms of life.

The discovery suggests that life was first developed in freshwater lakes rather than the ocean.

Scotland and the origins of sex

Fish fossils discovered in Scotland in 2014 suggest that sexual intercourse was actually invented by Scottish fish.

An animal that roamed Scotland’s lakes some 385 million years ago appears to have had genitals.

The discovery was made by Australian Professor John Long who believes the first form of mating must have occurred sideways.