Europe’s First Known Megaraptoran Identified From a 120-Million-Year-Old Skull Hidden in a Museum Drawer

For over a century, a piece of dinosaur skull lay hidden in London’s Natural History Museum, waiting to be identified. Unassuming and seemingly unremarkable, the fragment was collected from the foot of a cliff on the Isle of Wight. Now, after sitting in a drawer for nearly 100 years, researchers have unveiled the identity of this ancient predator, marking Europe's first known megaraptoran.

Dubbed Invictibellatrix amberina, this carnivore lived approximately 120 million years ago. As a member of a group known for their fearsome arm weaponry, Invictibellatrix filled a critical gap in the story of how its relatives spread across the planet. Lead author Cassitus Morrison expressed amazement at how long this fossil had remained overlooked, emphasizing that the Isle of Wight has likely hidden other undiscovered treasures.

Megaraptorans were swift, two-legged hunters with slender heads, powerful arms, and curved claws. Their hunting strategy primarily involved grabbing prey, contrasting with the jaw-driven approach seen in Tyrannosaurus rex. The Invictibellatrix skull fragment, while lacking preserved claws, provided enough clues for researchers to reconstruct its size, appearance, and diet.

Based on related species, Invictibellatrix would have measured between three to four meters (10 to 13 feet) in length and just over a meter and a half (5 feet) in height. It is estimated to have sported feathers and had claws ranging from 10cm to 20cm (4 to 8 inches) in length. Its diet likely consisted of small dinosaurs, lizards, and mammals, occupying a role similar to that of a hyena today.

The fossil's name, Invictibellatrix, translates to "unconquered female warrior," reflecting the ecological dominance some later megaraptorans achieved. The discovery of this European megaraptoran supports the theory that these creatures originated in Asia and migrated through Europe towards Gondwana, the southern landmass. Prior to this finding, the European segment of this proposed migration route lacked a megaraptoran fossil to substantiate it.

Researchers propose that megaraptorans began in Asia, journeyed through Europe to Gondwana, and later became dominant predators in the southern hemisphere while disappearing from the northern Laurasia landmass. The presence of this new species in Europe confirms the group's widespread presence during the Early Cretaceous.