Key Takeaways
- Invictibellatrix amberina, a new species of predatory dinosaur, has been identified.
- The fossil, originally acquired in 1924, was recently studied using CT scans.
- This discovery marks the first megaraptoran found in Europe.
A new species of predatory dinosaur, named Invictibellatrix amberina, has been identified after a 102-year-old fossil was recently studied. The fossil, a partial braincase, was acquired by the Natural History Museum in London from Reverend Reginald Hooley in 1924 and had been unstudied for nearly a century.
Using advanced CT scans, researchers from the University of Leeds compared the fossil with other dinosaur species and found it to be a close match with the Argentinian megaraptoran Murusraptor, dating back to about 80 million years ago. This suggests that the fossil is from a new species belonging to the Megaraptora group of carnivorous dinosaurs.
The genus name, Invictibellatrix, means 'female unconquered warrior,' and the researchers estimate that the dinosaur was about 3 to 4 meters long, 1.5 meters tall, and weighed between 200 and 300 kilograms. It is believed to have had feathers and claws 10 to 20 centimeters long for attacking small dinosaurs, lizards, and mammals.
Had humans been around during the time of Invictibellatrix, they would have been perfect-sized prey, about a third of the dinosaur's body weight, according to Cassius Morrison, a researcher at the University of Leeds.
The Isle of Wight, where the fossil was found, was still attached to mainland Britain and Europe when the dinosaur lived, and the environment was subtropical. Megaraptoran fossils have been found in Asia, Australia, and South America, and this discovery marks the first in Europe, potentially tying their story together.
The researchers suggest that Invictibellatrix evolved from Asian megaraptorans that dispersed into Europe some 130 million years ago. Megaraptorans then spread from Europe to Africa, South America, and Australia before the continents completely separated.
This discovery is significant as it provides new insights into the evolution and dispersal of megaraptorans across the ancient supercontinent.
