New long-clawed dinosaur species found in England
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A British scientific team discovered a new dinosaur species with long claws after examining a skull fossil found on the Isle of Wight, in the United Kingdom.
The fossil remained stored in a drawer for over 100 years before researchers began to study it. This dinosaur belongs to a group of agile, two-legged carnivores called megaraptorans, and represents the first of its kind discovered in Europe.
Megaraptorans were closely related to tyrannosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus rex, but they had slender heads and used their large arms and curved claws to attack prey instead of relying on their jaws. While some megaraptorans grew to enormous sizes, this newly identified species was one of the smallest and oldest of the group, living approximately 120 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period.
The specimen measured between three and four meters long and over 1.5 meters tall, and likely had feathers. Researchers believe it preyed on small dinosaurs, lizards, and mammals, filling a similar ecological role to the modern hyena. The team used CT scans and computer algorithms to create 3D models of the skull and its internal structures, ultimately naming the dinosaur Invictibellatrix amberina, meaning “unconquered warrior,” in honor of the megaraptorans’ status as apex predators.
