Four bones found on a beach on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England, belong to a new species of theropod dinosaur, the group that includes Tyrannosaurus rex, researchers at the University of Southampton said on Wednesday.
The new dinosaur, named Vectaerovenator inopinatus, lived in the Cretaceous period 115 million years ago and was estimated to be up to four meters long, the palaeontologists said.
The name refers to the large airfields found in the bones, which were found on the shore at Shanklin, a beach town on the island, last year.
The air sacs, which are also seen in modern birds, were an extension of the lung, the researchers said, and appear to have helped fuel an efficient respiratory system while also makes the skeleton lighter.
One of the finders, Robin Ward, a regular fossil hunter from Stratford-upon-Avon in central England, said: “The joy of finding the bones we found was just fantastic.”
“I thought they were special so I took them with us when we visited the Dinosaur Island Museum,” he said. “They knew immediately that these were rare and asked if we could donate them to the museum for a full investigation.”
James Lockyer, of Spalding, Lincolnshire, in the east of England, was also visiting the island when he found another of the bones.
“I was looking for a place in Shanklin and I was told and I read that I wouldn’t find much there,” he said. “However, I always make sure I check the areas that others don’t, and at this point it paid off a lot. ”
Chris Barker, a doctoral student who led the study, said: “We were struck by just how empty the animal was – it’s full of airfields. Parts of his skeleton must have been very relaxed. ”
The Vectaerovenator apparently lived in an area just north of where the remains were found, with the carcass washed out into the shallow sea nearby, the crew said. research.
(This story was published from a wire group group with no text changes. Only the headline was changed.)
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