Dearcmhara (pronounced like "jark vara"; Scottish Gaelic: "marine lizard"[2]) is a genus of marine reptile from the early to mid-Jurassic period around 170 million years ago, known from fossil remains found on the island of Skye in Scotland.

Much of Skye was underwater at the time and was joined with the rest of the UK as part of a large island between the landmasses that were later to become Europe and North America.

[4] The type species, Dearcmhara shawcrossi, was discovered in an extremely incomplete state with only four bones remaining from the animal's skeleton; however, this has been sufficient to allow researchers to identify unique features that are not seen on other ichthyosaurs.

[4] Writing in The Conversation, the study's lead author Stephen Brusatte commented that while it was inevitable that the press had compared the find to the mythical Loch Ness Monster, Dearcmhara was "much more interesting".

He noted the crucial role that Brian Shawcross had played in donating the fossil rather than keeping or selling it, a fate which had befallen many other Jurassic fossils from Scotland, and appealed to amateur collectors to follow Shawcross's example in donating their finds to science.