June 9 (Reuters) – Fossil bones discovered on a rocky shore on the Isle of Wight in England are the remains of a carnivorous dinosaur that may be larger than any other known in Europe, a beast that was a cousin of the largest carnivorous dinosaur species. in constancy.
Paleontologists said on Thursday that they had found parts of the skeleton of the dinosaur, which lived about 125 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, including bones of the back, hips and tail, some fragments of limbs but no skull. no teeth. From the partial remains, they estimated that the dinosaur was over 33 feet (10 meters) long and perhaps reached much higher.
“The size of the specimen is impressive. It is one of the largest, and possibly the largest, known terrestrial predators that Europe has ever pursued,” said Chris Barker, a doctoral student in paleontology at the University of Southampton and lead author. of the study published in the journal PeerJ Life & Environment.
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Based in part on a series of small furrows at the top of the tail vertebra, they concluded that it belonged to a group of dinosaurs called spinosaurs that included Spinosaurus, which lived about 95 million years ago and about 50 million years ago. feet (15 meters) long. it is considered the longest known dinosaur predator. Read more
Spinosaurs had elongated skulls reminiscent of crocodiles with many conical teeth, perfect for slippery prey, as well as strong arms and large claws. They fed on aquatic prey and other dinosaurs.
Due to the incomplete nature of the remains, researchers have not yet given a scientific name to the recently described dinosaur, but call it “white rock spinosaurid” from the geological layer where the bones were found. They believe it is not a member of any previously identified species.
Carnivorous dinosaurs belonged to a clade called theropods, and each continent produced immense examples. They were bipedal and the largest had massive skulls and strong teeth.
The artist’s illustration shows a large carnivorous dinosaur called the “White Rock Spinosaurid”, the remains of which date back to about 125 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, on the Isle of Wight in England. standing on a beach, surrounded by flying reptiles called pterosaurs. Anthony Hutchings / Brochure via REUTERS.
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Spinosaurus was the largest in Africa. The tyrannosaurus rex, which approached 42 feet (13 meters), was the king of North America, while the similarly sized Giganotosaurus reigned in South America and the slightly smaller Tarbosaurus in Asia. The largest known theropod in Europe was Torvosaurus, about 33 feet (10 meters). Read more
The recently described dinosaur could be as long as the T. rex, according to paleobiologist and University of Southampton study author Neil Gostling.
“This one is really big,” Gostling said. “Hopefully more fossils will appear. We’d love a skull or teeth.”
Looking at the teeth could help researchers better understand the position of this dinosaur in the family tree of spinosaurs.
Fossils were detected on the surface along Compton Bay, on the southwest coast of the Isle of Wight. The dinosaur inhabited a lagoon environment also populated by several dinosaurs that eat flying plants and reptiles called pterosaurs. At that time, the sea level was much higher than today and much of Europe was submerged.
The Isle of Wight has become one of the richest places in Europe for dinosaur remains. The same team of researchers announced last year the discovery of two other Cretaceous spinosaurs from the Isle of Wight, both about 30 feet (9 meters) long. Read more
These findings, combined with the latter, support his hypothesis that hawthorns as a group originated and diversified in Western Europe before expanding elsewhere.
“This new material corroborates our previous work highlighting Europe as an important region for spinosaur diversification,” Barker said.
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Will Dunham’s Report in Washington; Edited by Lisa Shumaker
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