Forgotten Isle of Wight fossil reveals new dinosaur species
An Isle of Wight fossil held in the Natural History Museum for more than a century has revealed a previously unknown dinosaur species, offering new evidence about how predatory dinosaurs spread between Europe and the southern continents around 120 million years ago.
Named Invictibellatrix amberina, the dinosaur was identified by researchers led by University College London (UCL) after they re-examined a fragment of skull originally discovered on the Isle of Wight. The findings, published in Royal Society Open Science, identify it as the first known European member of the megaraptoran group of carnivorous dinosaurs. Megaraptorans were agile, two-legged predators related to tyrannosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus rex.
Unlike their better-known relatives, they relied on powerful forelimbs and enormous curved claws to capture prey. Researchers estimate that Invictibellatrix reached three to four metres in length and stood around 1.5 metres tall, hunting small dinosaurs, lizards, and mammals.
The Isle of Wight fossil was acquired by the Natural History Museum in 1924, having been collected by amateur palaeontologist Reginald Walter Tooley. Its significance remained unrecognised for generations.
To identify the species, the team used CT scans to reconstruct the skull fragment in three dimensions, examining distinctive anatomical features before comparing them with those of other meat-eating dinosaurs. Computer-based evolutionary analyses supported its classification as a megaraptoran.
The discovery also addresses a longstanding gap in the group’s evolutionary history. Scientists had proposed that megaraptorans originated in Asia before spreading into Europe and eventually reaching Gondwana, the ancient southern landmass that included present-day South America, Africa, and Antarctica. Until now, however, no confirmed European fossils had supported that route.
The new species provides evidence that these predators occupied Europe during the Early Cretaceous. The researchers’ models suggest that while megaraptorans later disappeared from northern regions, they continued evolving in Gondwana, where some became formidable predators measuring up to 10 metres long.
Why the group vanished from Europe remains uncertain. Climate change, shifting environments, and competition from other carnivorous dinosaurs may all have contributed.
The study, involving UCL and the Natural History Museum, demonstrates the scientific value of historic museum collections. More than a century after Tooley collected the skull fragment, a closer examination has revealed both a new species and an important clue to dinosaur evolution.
For more, visit EyeOnLondon at eye-on-london.com
Follow us on:
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest videos & updates!
We value your thoughts! Share your feedback and help us make EyeOnLondon even better!
