New dinosaur species identified from forgotten skull
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Researchers at University College London identified a new dinosaur species from a skull kept in a museum drawer for 100 years.
The dinosaur, named invictibellatrix amberina (meaning “invincible female warrior”), lived around 120 million years ago during the early Cretaceous period in what is now Great Britain. The creature was roughly the size of a tiger, standing 1.5 meters tall and up to four meters long, with 10- to 20-centimeter claws.
Scientists believe invictibellatrix was a relative of the Tyrannosaurus rex but not a top predator. Cassius Morrison, the study’s lead author, explained the dinosaur likely would have preyed on humans due to their size. The skull was originally discovered on the Isle of Wight by amateur paleontologist Reginald Walter Tooley in 1924, and donated to the Natural History Museum in London.
The discovery of invictibellatrix helps scientists better understand the skull shape of early megaraptors and their spread from Asia through Europe. Researchers suggest more discoveries are likely as many bones continue to emerge from the Isle of Wight.
