Paleontologists said Thursday they found parts of the dinosaur skeleton, which lived about 125 million years ago during the Cretaceous, including the bones of the back, hips and tail, some limbs, but not a skull or teeth. Based on some remains, they estimated that the dinosaur was over 33 feet (10 meters) in length and may have reached much higher. “The size of the specimen is impressive. It is one of the largest – and perhaps the largest – known land predators to ever haunt Europe,” said Chris Barker, PhD student in paleontology at the University of Southampton and lead author of the published study. in PeerJ Life & Environment magazine. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Based in part 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 that included the Spinosaurus, which lived about 95 million years ago and was about 50 feet (15 meters) long. ). is considered the longest known dinosaur predator. read more The spinosaurs had elongated crocodile-like skulls with many conical teeth – ideal for catching slippery prey – as well as strong arms and large claws. They fed on aquatic prey as well as other dinosaurs. Due to the incomplete nature of the remains, researchers have not yet given the newly described dinosaur a scientific name, but call it a “White Rock spinosaurus” based on the geological layer where the bones were found. They believe that he is not a member of any species that has been previously recognized. Carnivorous dinosaurs belonged to a class called theropods, with each continent producing vast 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”, whose remains dating to about 125 million years ago during the Cretaceous period were found on the Isle of Wight in England, standing on a beach, surrounded by flying reptiles called pterosaurs. Anthony Hutchings / Handout via REUTERS. read more Spinosaurus was the largest in Africa. The Tyrannosaurus rex, approaching 42 feet (13 meters), was the king of North America, while the Giganotosaurus of the same size reigned in South America and the slightly smaller Tarbosaurus in Asia. The largest known named theropod from Europe was the Torbosaurus, at 33 feet (10 meters). read more The recently described dinosaur may prove to be as long as T. Rex, according to University of Southampton paleobiologist and study author Neil Gostling. “This is really big,” Gostling said. “Hopefully more fossils appear. We would love a skull or teeth.” Examining the teeth could help researchers better understand the location of this dinosaur in the spinosaurus family tree. The fossils were found on the surface along Compton Bay on the southwest coast of the Isle of Wight. The dinosaur lived in a lagoon environment that is also inhabited by various herbivorous dinosaurs and flying reptiles called pterosaurs. At that time, sea levels were much higher than they are today and large parts of Europe sank. The Isle of Wight has become one of Europe’s richest places for dinosaur remains. The same team last year announced the discovery of two other Cretaceous spinosaurs Isle of Wight, both about 30 feet (9 meters) long. read more These findings, combined with the most recent, support their hypothesis that spinosaurs as a group originated and diversified in Western Europe before expanding elsewhere. “This new material confirms our previous work highlighting Europe as an important region for spinosaurus differentiation,” Barker said. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Will Dunham in Washington. Edited by: Lisa Shumaker Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
