The dinosaur, described in a new paper in the journal Royal Society Open Science, belongs to a group of agile, two-legged carnivores called megaraptorans and is the first of this group to be found in Europe.<\/p>\n
Megaraptorans were closely related to tyrannosaurs including Tyrannosaurus rex but had slender heads, attacking prey with their large arms and giant curved claws instead of their jaws.<\/p>\n
While some species grew to gigantic sizes, just as tyrannosaurs did, this new species is one of the smallest and earliest of the group to be found, living in the UK in the Early Cretaceous period about 120 million years ago.<\/p>\n
It has been named Invictibellatrix amberina. Invictibellatrix means \u201cunconquered female warrior\u201d \u2013 honouring megaraptorans\u2019 future role as massive apex predators. <\/p>\n
The fossil, a chunk of the back of a skull, was acquired by the Natural History Museum in 1924 and had been overlooked for study until now.<\/p>\n
Professor Paul Barrett, the study\u2019s senior author from the Natural History Museum, says, “Despite over 200 years of collecting, the Isle of Wight continues to surprise us with new dinosaur species, and finds of carnivorous dinosaurs, such as Invictibellatrix, have been particularly elusive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWork like this shows the exceptional value of working with historical museum collections where there are still many discoveries to be made.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lead author Dr Cassius Morrison (UCL Earth Sciences) explains, \u201cBased on what we know about its closest relatives, Invictibellatrix would have been three to four metres long and just over a metre and a half in height – about as tall as a human. It would likely have had feathers and its claws might have been about 10cm to 20cm long. It would have eaten small dinosaurs, lizards and mammals \u2013 occupying a similar role in the food chain to the hyena today.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was not the apex predator of its time, but for humans this dinosaur would have been more dangerous than a T. rex. We would have been perfectly sized prey, about a third of their body weight. They definitely would have chased us. A T. rex would not have bothered, as we would have been too small.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a real mystery that this fossil was overlooked for so long, sitting in a drawer for nearly 100 years. Lots of bones are found on the Isle of Wight \u2013 who knows what else is waiting to be discovered.\u201d<\/p>\n
Megaraptors are regarded as the most mysterious of the large, meat-eating dinosaurs, as few megaraptor fossils have been found.<\/p>\n
They are thought to have originated in Asia, before migrating through Europe and becoming apex predators throughout the southern land mass of Gondwana (including present-day Africa, South America and Antarctica).<\/p>\n
But until now, this theory was missing key fossil evidence, as no megaraptorans had been found in Europe.<\/p>\n
Co-author Charlie Scherer, a PhD student at UCL Earth Sciences, adds, \u201cThis new species is the first proof we have that megaraptorans were also present in Europe and that they reached Gondwana this way rather than island-hopping further south.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the study, researchers undertook a CT scan of the fossil, creating a 3D model of this part of the skull as well as a model of the interior of the skull, i.e. the brain.<\/p>\n
The researchers compared the fossil with skulls and brain cases from tyrannosaurs, spinosaurs, raptors and other two-legged meat-eating dinosaurs. <\/p>\n
A unique combination of skull features, including an oval hole where the spinal cord entered the brain and an hour-glass-shaped crest, led researchers to conclude it was a new species.<\/p>\n
Computer algorithms analysing how the traits of the skull fit in with those of other species consistently found the specimen belonged to the megaraptoran family.<\/p>\n
The research team also used mathematical modelling to investigate how the spread of megaraptors around the world might have changed over time, based on fossils discovered so far, dinosaurs\u2019 evolutionary trees, geography and climate.<\/p>\n
The team concluded that megaraptors were globally widespread in the Early Cretaceous (i.e., at the time of Invictibellatrix), but by the Late Cretaceous tens of millions of years later they had likely become extinct in the giant northern landmass of Laurasia (including modern-day Europe).<\/p>\n
During this later period, megaraptors became apex predators throughout Gondwana in the south, reaching gigantic sizes, with claws up to 35cm (14in) long.*<\/p>\n
The study did not explain why megaraptors likely died out in the north, but this may have been a result of shifts in climate or environment, or the presence of competing predators such as other tyrannosaurs.<\/p>\n
The Invictibellatrix fossil was originally found at the foot of a cliff on the south-west coast of the Isle of Wight by amateur palaeontologist Reginald Walter Tooley. It was one of more than 1,000 specimens discovered by Tooley that were acquired by the Natural History Museum after his death.<\/p>\n
In the paper, the researchers said the name Invictibellatrix was intended to \u201cgive hope and strength to all those who are bullied, discriminated, victimised, and oppressed that tomorrow will be theirs and not to give up in face of such odds\u201d. Amberina, meanwhile, refers to the amber found in the rocks where the fossil was discovered, as well as to the female name.<\/p>\n
The research was funded by Palaeontographical Society, the Royal Society and UKRI.<\/p>\n
*Maip macrothorax, for instance, found in what is now Argentina, was an estimated nine to 10 metres long and weighed as much as an elephant.<\/p>\n
Notes to editors<\/p>\n
For more information or to speak to the researchers involved, please contact Mark Greaves, UCL Media Relations E: [email\u00a0protected]<\/a> T: +44 (0)20 3108 9485 | +44 7990 675 947 <\/p>\n \u201cA new megaraptoran dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation, UK, and its implications for theropod evolution and biogeography<\/a>\u201d, by Cassius D. Morrison, Charlie R. Scherer et al, is published in Royal Society Open Science.<\/p>\n Images and video<\/p>\n An artist\u2019s illustration<\/a> of the new theropod dinosaur, Invictibellatrix amberina (centre of the image), in its ecosystem on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom in the Early Cretaceous (around 120 million years ago). It lived in what was likely a seasonally wet-to-dry floodplain environment and is surrounded by other dinosaurs including large long-necked rebbachisaurid sauropods (directly behind Invictibellatrix, centre) and relatives of Iguanodon (right). A spinosaurid theropod, potentially the apex predator of the time, fishes (left). Invictibellatrix has just caught and is consuming two small mammals. Gymnosperms dominate the environment as flowering plants (angiosperms) were not common at this time. Other reptiles including relatives to modern lizards, crocodiles and turtles enjoy the warm Early Cretaceous weather of the UK. Credit: Sergey Krasovskiy and Pedro Salas<\/p>\n Fossil<\/a> of newly identified theropod dinosaur, Invictibellatrix amberina. The oval hole is where the brain would have been. The fossil was acquired by the Natural History Museum in 1924. Credit: The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London<\/p>\n Landscape<\/a> and portrait<\/a> images of Dr Cassius Morrison with the fossil. Dr Cassius Morrison with PhD student Charlie Scherer<\/a>, the paper\u2019s second author. Credit: The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London<\/p>\n About The Natural History Museum<\/p>\n The Natural History Museum<\/a>\u202fis a world-leading scientific research centre and the UK’s number one visitor attraction.\u202f<\/p>\n We are welcoming more than 7 million people to our blockbuster exhibitions, galleries and gardens and our 350 scientists are finding solutions to the planetary emergency \u2013 from reversing biodiversity loss to resourcing the green economy.\u202f<\/p>\n With over 80 million specimens, spanning 4.5 billion years, the breadth and depth of the Museum\u2019s collection make it the most important of its kind in the world. \u202f<\/p>\n Through our NHM150<\/a> campaign, we are raising an additional \u00a3150 million\u202fto transform our iconic building and meet our mission of creating over 100 million advocates for the planet by 2031 \u2013 the Museum\u2019s 150th\u202fanniversary.\u202f<\/p>\n About University College London (UCL) <\/p>\n UCL is a global top 10 university, set up in London 200 years ago to offer education for all. Today, we gather 60,000 staff and students, from over 150 countries, to create a unique city within a city \u2013 a research and innovation powerhouse that leads the world in subjects spanning the arts, sciences, technology and the humanities. We\u2019ve nurtured 33 Nobel Prize winners, because here, brave ideas have the scale and the support they need to succeed. We are University College London. And here, it can happen. <\/p>\n UCL turns 200 in 2026. Join us for a year of bicentennial events and celebration<\/a>. <\/p>\n