A brand-new study by paleontologists at the University of Southamptons EvoPalaeoLab reveals that a number of distinct groups of spinosaurs populated Cretaceous Britain. A recent study by the University of Southampton suggests that unique spinosaur groups lived in Cretaceous Britain, challenging previous beliefs. Utilizing a spinosaur tooth from the Hastings Museum, scientists found it belonged to a different types, not the frequently determined Baryonyx. Less remarkable spinosaur remains– isolated teeth– are common throughout the Wealden, and have actually typically been determined as belonging to Baryonyx.” We used a variety of techniques to identify this specimen, in order to check whether isolated spinosaur teeth might be referred to Baryonyx,” said lead author Chris Barker, whose PhD focuses on the spinosaurs of southern Britain.
Illustration of White Rock spinosaurid by Anthony Hutchings A new research study by paleontologists at the University of Southamptons EvoPalaeoLab shows that numerous distinct groups of spinosaurs populated Cretaceous Britain. Credit: UoS/A Hutchings.
A current research study by the University of Southampton suggests that unique spinosaur groups resided in Cretaceous Britain, challenging previous beliefs. Utilizing a spinosaur tooth from the Hastings Museum, scientists discovered it came from a different types, not the frequently identified Baryonyx. This finding underlines the rich diversity of spinosaurs in southern England and the capacity for finding new dinosaur types in well-explored areas.
Analysis of a British spinosaur tooth by paleontologists at the EvoPalaeoLab of the University of Southampton reveals that a number of distinct spinosaur groups populated Cretaceous Britain.
Kept within the collections of the Hastings Museum and Art Gallery in East Sussex, the fossil that forms the basis of the new research study was gifted to the museum in 1889. It was collected from the regional Lower Cretaceous rocks of the Wealden Supergroup, a thick, complex rock sequence deposited throughout south-eastern England in between 140 and 125 million years ago.
Baryonyx– discovered in the Wealden of Surrey in 1983– is one of the worlds most substantial spinosaur specimens, considering that it was the first to expose the true look of this crocodile-headed, fish-eating group. Less remarkable spinosaur remains– isolated teeth– are common throughout the Wealden, and have frequently been determined as belonging to Baryonyx.
( A) Schematic geology of the Lower Cretaceous deposits of the Weald Sub-basin (southeast England), highlighting published spinosaurid finds (Charig & & Milner, 1997; Salisbury & & Naish, 2011; Turmine-Juhel et al., 2019). Based on Austen & & Batten (2018: Fig. 2). Keep in mind that various additional spinosaurid teeth are known from the region but remain undescribed in information (Fowler, 2007). (B) Simplified stratigraphic column of the Weald Group in southeast England, based on Batten & & Austen (2011: Fig. 3.2). Keep in mind that the Grinstead Clay Formation, which subdivides the Tunbridge Wells Sands Formation in Batten & & Austen (2011) and from which the “Suchosaurus cultridens” type specimen was discovered (Salisbury & & Naish, 2011 ), is downgraded to a member of the latter formation in other works (Hopson, Wilkinson & & Woods, 2008) and has actually not been included in this column. Credit: Spinosaurid silhouette thanks to Dan Folkes
” We utilized a variety of strategies to recognize this specimen, in order to check whether separated spinosaur teeth could be referred to Baryonyx,” stated lead author Chris Barker, whose PhD concentrates on the spinosaurs of southern Britain. “The tooth did not group with Baryonyx in any of our information runs. It should belong to a different type of spinosaur.”
The outcomes reveal that distantly related and unique spinosaur types lived in the area during Early Cretaceous times. In 2021, they named the hell heron Ceratosuchops from the Isle of Wight, and in 2022 revealed the discovery of what might be Europes largest ever land predator, a giant understood just as the White Rock spinosaur.
( A) Lingual, (B) basal, (C) mesial, (D) distal and (E) labial view. (F– G) Close up of the enamel texture on the labial tooth surface. Abbreviations: ca, carina; ce, cervix; co, crown; ent, enamel texture; influenza, flute; puc, pulp cavity (infilled); ro, root. Scale bars (A– E): 10 mm, (F– G): 1 mm. Credit: PeerJ
” Museums themselves are places to make amazing discoveries as our understanding of specimens changes from the time they were transferred. Curators are necessary to assist us navigate the cabinets and displays, assisting us to unpick the often-incomplete records- either never fully composed, or lost to time.
” Dinosaur teeth preserve various physiological details, and we can use different analytical techniques to see how similar, or various, they are to other teeth. Our brand-new research study shows that previously unacknowledged spinosaur species exist in poorly understood sections of the Wealdens history, and we hope that much better remains will be discovered that enhances our knowledge. Heres another suggestion that even well-studied locations like southern England have the possible to yield new dinosaur species,” stated Dr. Darren Naish
For more on this research, see 140 Million-Year-Old Tooth Unveils Diversity of Spinosaurs in Ancient Britain.
Referral: “Isolated tooth exposes covert spinosaurid dinosaur variety in the British Wealden Supergroup (Lower Cretaceous)” by Chris T. Barker, Darren Naish and Neil J. Gostling, 31 May 2023, PeerJ.DOI: 10.7717/ peerj.15453.