Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific breakthroughs and more.
A previously unknown species of herbivorous dinosaur roamed an island off the south coast of England around 125 million years ago, new research has found.
The dinosaur would have been the size of a large American bison and weighed about a ton, according to Jeremy Lockwood, a doctoral researcher at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom and lead author of a study on the prehistoric creature.
Fossilized footprints found near the skeleton show that the dinosaur was likely a herding animal, Lockwood said, adding: “Possibly large herds of these dinosaurs may have been thundering around getting scared by predators on the floodplains more than 120 million years ago.”
The dinosaur fossil, made up of 149 bones, was discovered on the Isle of Wight in 2013 and is the most complete skeleton found in the UK in more than a century. to look for published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology said.
The bones were found by avid local fossil collector Nick Chase, who died of cancer in 2019.
“Nick had a phenomenal nose for finding dinosaur bones – he really was a modern-day Mary Anning,” said Lockwood, alluding to the famous 19th-century paleontologist in a Press release. “He collected fossils daily in all climates and donated them to museums. I had hoped that we would spend our old years collecting together, as we were similar ages, but unfortunately that was not the case.”
The new species of dinosaur was named Comptonatus Chasei in honor of Chase and the place where he found the skeleton, Compton Bay.
The researchers were able to determine that the skeleton belonged to a new species of dinosaur due to unique features such as the jaw and particularly large pubic hip bone.
Lockwood described the find as “a remarkable find”, explaining: “It helps us understand more about the different types of dinosaurs that lived in England in the Early Cretaceous.”
Mike Greenslade, general manager of conservation charity the National Trust on the Isle of Wight, praised the “extraordinary discovery”.
“Finding the most complete dinosaur in the UK for a century not only highlights the palaeontological significance of the island, but also underlines the importance of preserving our landscapes for future generations to explore and learn from,” said Greenslade.
“Nick Chase’s remarkable discovery and Jeremy Lockwood’s dedicated research are testament to the incredible story waiting to be discovered here,” he added.
For more news and newsletters from CNN, create an account at CNN.com
