A giant spinosaurus dinosaur once roamed the area that is now England 125 million years ago, making it the largest carnivore in Europe.
Paleontologists excavated the fossils of this colossal creature on the Isle of Wight off the southern coast of England. They have nicknamed the newly discovered species “White Rock Spinosaurus”, named after the chalk layer on the island. As the research team has only uncovered a few fossil fragments, the creature does not yet have an official scientific name.
Reconstructed appearance of White Rock Spinosaurus on the Isle of Wight. (Photo: Anthony Hutchings)
This fossil represents the smallest spinosaurus ever found in England, according to a study published on June 9 in the journal PeerJ Life and Environment. The spinosaurus was a bipedal carnivorous dinosaur with a crocodile-like skull, elongated neck, and muscular limbs. They lived during the Cretaceous period (66 to 145 million years ago). The new dinosaur is a close relative of a larger amphibious spinosaurus species and has a sail-like structure protruding from its back.
The White Rock Spinosaurus remains quite mysterious due to the scarcity of fossils from this dinosaur group. Scientists believe they hunted in rivers and lagoons, but how they captured prey remains a topic of debate. Some paleontologists suggest that the spinosaurus swam after its prey, propelling itself by whipping its large tail like a crocodile. Other experts hypothesize that it behaved more like a heron, wading through lagoons and thrusting its long claws into the water to catch fish. Regardless of its hunting method, it was enormous, and the newly discovered White Rock Spinosaurus is among the largest. According to Chris Barker, the lead researcher and paleontologist at the University of Southampton in England, the creature measured over 10 meters in length. It could be the largest predatory dinosaur in Europe.
The research team found fossils of the ancient beast, including pelvic and tail vertebrae, within the Cretaceous rock layer near Compton Chine, a geological feature on the southwestern coast of the Isle of Wight. The fossils were preserved in a rock formation known as the Vectis Formation, which formed 125 million years ago when sediment from the sea infiltrated the coastal freshwater lagoon. The White Rock Spinosaurus may have wandered in search of prey among the lagoons and sandy beaches. Marks on the bones indicate that its carcass may have been scavenged by bone-eating larvae or decaying beetles during the Cretaceous period.
Researchers hope to learn more about the new dinosaur species by taking thin slices of bone and studying them under a microscope. This will allow them to explore how quickly the spinosaurus grew and its age at death.
