On the British Isle of Wight , fossilized bones have been found that most likely belong to a spinosaurus , one of the first carnivores.
Fossilized bones discovered on the rocky coast of England’s Isle of Wight are the remains of a carnivorous dinosaur that may have been larger than any other known dinosaur in Europe and is a relative of the largest known species of carnivorous dinosaur.
Paleontologists said Thursday they have found parts of the skeleton of a dinosaur that lived about 125 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, including back, pelvis and tail bones, some parts of limbs, but no skull or teeth.
Based on the partial remains, they estimated that the dinosaur was more than 10 meters long, and possibly much longer.
“The sample size is impressive. It is one of the largest – and probably the largest – known land predator ever to stalk Europe,” said Chris Barker , a paleontologist at the University of Southampton and lead author of a study published in PeerJ Life & Environment.
Based on a series of small grooves at the top of the tail vertebra, they concluded that it belonged to a group of dinosaurs called spinosaurs, including Spinosaurus, which lived about 95 million years ago and was about 15 meters long. It is considered the longest known predator among dinosaurs.
Huge samples
Spinosaurs had elongated crocodile-like skulls with many conical teeth – perfect for catching slippery prey – as well as strong limbs and large claws. They fed on aquatic animals as well as other dinosaurs.
Because of the incomplete remains, scientists have not yet given the newly described dinosaur a scientific name, but have dubbed it the “white rock spinosaurid” because of the geological layer in which the bones were found. They believe it is not a member of any previously identified species.
Carnivorous dinosaurs belonged to Theropoda , and there were large specimens on every continent. They were bipedal, and the largest had massive skulls and strong teeth.
Spinosaurus is the largest in Africa. Tyrannosaurus rex with a height of 13 meters is the king of North America, while in South America reigned G igantosaurus of similar size and slightly smaller Tarbosaurus in Asia. The largest known theropod from Europe is a torvosaur with a length of about 10 meters.
The newly described dinosaur could be as long as T. rex, according to University of Southampton paleobiologist and study author Neil Gostling.
“This one is really big,” Gostling said. “Hopefully more fossils will turn up.” “We would like a skull or teeth.”
Studying the teeth can help scientists better understand this dinosaur’s position on the spinosaur family tree.
Fossil rich site
The fossils were observed on the surface of the land in Compton Bay on the southwest coast of the Isle of Wight . The dinosaur lived in a lagoon environment inhabited by various plant-eating dinosaurs and flying reptiles called pterosaurs.
At that time the sea level was much higher than today and large parts of Europe were submerged. The Isle of Wight has become one of the richest sites for dinosaur remains in Europe. The same team of scientists last year discovered two more Cretaceous spinosaurus from the Isle of Wight , both about nine meters long.
These findings, combined with the latest, support their hypothesis that spinosaurs as a group originated and diversified in western Europe before spreading elsewhere.
