British scientists have named the fossil of a fierce giant crocodile from the Jurassic era after the former lead singer of Motorhead, Lemmy.

Like the hell-raising rock star, the 19ft (5.8m) long beast now called Lemmysuchus was no shrinking violet.

The fossil needed to be renamed after University of Edinburgh scientists realised it had been wrongly classified.

The Motorhead frontman died at the end of 2015.

His band had a run of top 40 hits between 1978 and 1982, were best known for the rock anthem Ace of Spades and toured the world for 40 years

The crocodile terrorised coastal waters around Britain more than 145 million years ago.

It had a skull measuring just over a metre and large, blunt teeth perfect for crushing bones and turtle shells.

The name was suggested by Natural History Museum curator and Motorhead fan Lorna Steel.

She said: "Although Lemmy passed away at the end of 2015, we'd like to think that he would have raised a glass to Lemmysuchus, one of the nastiest sea creatures to have ever inhabited the Earth.

"As a long-standing Motorhead fan I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to immortalise the rock star in this way."

The incorrect classification was spotted by University of Edinburgh palaeontologist Michela Johnson after conducting a recent study of the fossil.

She said "Following careful anatomical comparison, and by referring to the main specimen held at the Natural History Museum, we could see that most of the previous finds were actually from relatives of Lemmysuchus rather than the species itself, and we were able to assign a new name."

The fossil was originally dug up in a clay pit near Peterborough in 1909 then housed at London's Natural History Museum.

Lemmy himself was born Ian Kilmister and it was widely reported that he acquired his nickname as a youngster who often asked: "Lemme (lend me) a quid". But the man himself said in an interview that he had long forgotten its origin.