About 125 million years ago, where the Isle of Wight is located in the English Channel today, a monstrous giant was on the move: British paleontologists discovered the remains of a predatory dinosaur on the island, which they assign to the group of spinosaurids. With an estimated length of over ten meters, it could overshadow all previously known predatory dinosaurs in Europe. If the affiliation to a new species is confirmed, it is now the fourth representative of the famous dinosaur group found in southern England. The new discovery would thus support the assumption that the spinosaurids originated in western Europe and then colonized other parts of the Cretaceous world, say the researchers.
The history of the discovery of spinosaurids dates back to 1912: the remains of a predatory dinosaur more than 16 meters long appeared in Egypt, which was characterized by projections on the vertebrae and a snout that was elongated like a crocodile. The species called Spinosaurus aegyptiacus has now been characterized more precisely by further finds and is known as possibly the largest predatory dinosaur of all time. This has also brought Spinosaurus, for example, an appearance in the third part of the film series Jurassic Park, where he breaks the neck of a T. rex. As is now known, he was a representative of a whole group of predatory dinosaurs, to whose namesake he advanced: In addition to North Africa, predatory dinosaur species were also discovered in North America, Australia and Europe, which can be assigned to the group of spinosaurids. Their distinctive features suggest that they were adapted to aquatic life, or even predominantly submerged, feeding on fish and other aquatic life.
Finds from the limestone cliffs of the Isle of Wight
The greatest known species diversity among spinosaurids has already emerged in the Cretaceous world in what is now southern England: the remains of the spinosaurid Baryonyx were first discovered there in 1983 in a clay pit in Surrey. This was followed in 2021 by two more species found on the Isle of Wight. Now the team of paleontologists led by Chris Barker from the University of Southampton reports another find from the southwest coast of the Channel Island, which they assign to the spinosaurids. These are particularly large bone fragments, which include parts of vertebrae and ribs and apparently come from a single animal.
Based on the characteristics of the bones and comparisons with known spinosaurs, the scientists conclude that it was a representative of this group. What is special about it is its enormous dimensions compared to earlier finds from England, which could be estimated from the vertebrae. “The material found so far is sufficient to show that it was a huge creature. The animal was therefore more than ten meters long and probably weighed several tons. Judging by the dimensions, it appears to be one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs ever found in Europe – perhaps even the largest known so far,” says Barker.
On the trail of a snarling giant
The scientists assume that the unusually large animal represents a previously unknown species – but they have not yet been able to prove this unequivocally, as parts with clear species-typical characteristics are missing. “We hope that over time more remains will turn up. Since only fragments are known so far, we have not yet given the dinosaur an official scientific name,” says co-author Darren Naish from the University of Southampton. The scientists therefore refer to the animal as the “White Rock Spinosaurid” after where it was found. To learn more about him, they now plan to cut thin sections of the find material to study the microscopic internal properties of the bones. These analyzes could shed light on its growth rates and possible age.
If they are correct in their assumption that the White Rock spinosaurid is a separate species, this would support a thesis that they published last year in connection with the finds of the other two spinosaurids: This group of theropod dinosaurs could originally have been in Western Europe have emerged. In the area of today’s Isle of Wight, according to the traces of the former environment, they lived in a lagoon landscape. In this region, these amphibious dinosaurs could have given rise to different species that then colonized the wider parts of the Cretaceous world, one possible scenario.
Finally, the team reports on a rather bizarre aspect of the new find: Traces on the bones show how the body of the white rock spinosaurid served as food for scavengers after its death. “There are tunnels in the bone material about the size of my index finger. We believe they were caused by bone-eating larvae of a species of scavenger beetle. It’s an interesting thought that this giant killer became the meal for a variety of insects,” says co-author Jeremy Lockwood of the University of Portsmouth.
Source: University of Southampton, professional article: PeerJ, doi: 10.7717/peerj.13543