Reconstruction of the head of Brighstoneus simmondsi. Credit: John Sibbick
Nature Museum and University of Portsmouth scientists describe brand-new species of dinosaur
Discoveries of iguanodontian dinosaurs from the Isle of Wight have formerly only been appointed to Iguanodon or Mantellisaurus.
Diversity of dinosaurs in the Early Cretaceous of the UK is much higher than formerly thought.
” For me, the number of teeth was an indication,” Dr. Lockwood says. It likewise had a round nose, whereas the other species have very straight noses. Completely, these and other little distinctions made it really obviously a new species.”.
” Were looking at 6, perhaps 7 million years of deposits, and I think the genus lengths have been overstated in the past,” states Dr. Lockwood. “If thats the case on the island, we could be seeing many more brand-new species.
Brighstoneus simmondsi left dentary (jaw) in median view. Credit: Dr. Jeremy Lockwood.
Researchers from the Natural History Museum and University of Portsmouth have described a brand-new genus and types of dinosaur from a specimen found on the Isle of Wight.
Following on from a brand-new species of ankylosaur, new types of therapod, and 2 brand-new species of spinosaur dinosaurs, Brighstoneus simmondsi is the current in a host of brand-new dinosaur species explained by Museum researchers in current weeks.
Brighstoneus and Mantellisaurs. Credit: John Sibbick.
The new dinosaur is an iguanodontian, a group that also consists of the iconic Iguanodon and Mantellisaurus. Previously, iguanodontian material discovered from the Wealden Group (representing part of the Early Cretaceous period) on the Isle of Wight has actually typically been described as one of these 2 dinosaurs– with more gracile fossil bones designated to Mantellisaurus and the larger and more robust product assigned to Iguanodon.
Nasal and Maxilla. Credit: Dr. Jeremy Lockwood.
Nevertheless, when Dr. Jeremy Lockwood– a PhD trainee at the Museum and University of Portsmouth– was taking a look at the specimen, he discovered numerous unique characteristics that distinguished it from either of these other dinosaurs.
Brighstoneus simmondsi dorsal vertebra with pathological fracture. Credit: Dr. Jeremy Lockwood.
” For me, the number of teeth was a sign,” Dr. Lockwood states. “Mantellisaurus has 23 or 24, but this has 28. It also had a round nose, whereas the other types have very straight noses. Completely, these and other little differences made it really obviously a new types.”.
The herbivorous dinosaur was about 8 meters in length and weighed about 900kg. Published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, Dr. Lockwood explains the types and names it Brighstoneus simmondsi: Brighstoneus after the village of Brighstone, close to the excavation site, and simmondsi honoring Mr. Keith Simmonds, who made the discovery of the specimen in 1978.
The discovery of this brand-new species recommends that there were far more iguanodontian dinosaurs in the Early Cretaceous of the UK than previously thought, which merely appointing specimens from this period to either Iguanodon or Mantellisaurus need to change.
” Were taking a look at six, perhaps seven million years of deposits, and I think the genus lengths have actually been overestimated in the past,” says Dr. Lockwood. “If thats the case on the island, we could be seeing numerous more new species. It seems so unlikely to just have two animals being exactly the very same for countless years without modification.”.
Museum scientist Dr. Susannah Maidment, a co-author of the paper, states: “The describing of this new types reveals that there is clearly a greater variety of iguanodontian dinosaurs in the Early Cretaceous of the UK than formerly understood. Its also revealing that the century-old paradigm that gracile iguanodontian bones found on the island come from Mantellisaurus and big elements belong to Iguanodon can no longer be validated.”.
Dr. Jeremy Lockwood in Compton Bay Isle of Wight. Credit: Dr. Jeremy Lockwood.
The Isle of Wight has actually long been associated with dinosaur discovery, and even yielded the essential specimens that led Sir Richard Owen to coin the term Dinosauria. The authors conclude that the describing of Brighstoneus simmondsi as a new types calls for a reassessment of Isle of Wight product:.
” British dinosaurs are definitely not something thats done and dusted at all,” says Dr. Lockwood. “I believe we might be on to a bit of a renaissance.”.
Reference: “A new hadrosauriform dinosaur from the Wessex Formation, Wealden Group (Early Cretaceous), of the Isle of Wight, Southern England” 10 November 2021, Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.DOI: 10.1080/ 14772019.2021.1978005.
