New dinosaur species identified from fossil stashed in drawer for a century
Researchers identified a new dinosaur species from a fossil on Isle of Wight in the UK. The carnivorous dino would have been as tall as a human. The post New dinosaur species identified from fossil stashed in drawer for a century first appeared on EarthSky .
In 1924, amateur paleontologist Reginald Walter Tooley discovered a dinosaur fossil on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England. The fossil, part of a batch of 1,000 unstudied specimens, remained in a drawer for a century before being rediscovered by researchers Cassius Morrison and his student Charlie Scherer of University College London Earth Sciences.
Using modern diagnostic techniques, including CT scanning and 3D modeling, they determined the fossil belonged to a new dinosaur species, Invictibellatrix amberina. Named for the amber embedded in the plant debris beds of the Wessex Formation and the Latin term for an unconquered female warrior, the species would have been about human-sized, standing on two legs and using its arms and giant claws to hunt smaller prey like dinosaurs, lizards, and mammals.
The unique hour-glass-shaped crest on its skull led to its classification as a new species. While it was not the apex predator of its time, Invictibellatrix amberina would have been dangerous to humans, as it stood about 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall and had claws around 4-8 inches (10-20 cm) long. This newly discovered dinosaur species is the first megaraptoran known to have lived in Europe, indicating that megaraptorans originated in Asia and later traveled through Europe before eventually reaching Africa, South America, and Antarctica.
Written by urgent.news from EarthSky's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
