Scientists have confirmed that a giant, crocodile-faced dinosaur found on the Isle of Wight in Britain by one of Britain's top fossil hunters was the most powerful predator to ever stalk Europe. Nick Chase, a local collector who spent his entire life searching for dinosaur remains on the southern coast of England, found most of the bones of this two-legged spinosaurid.
In a study published by PeerJ, researchers at the University of Southampton used the few bones they had to identify the "White Rock Spinosaurid."
Chris Barker, a PhD student, led the study. He said, "This was an enormous animal, exceeding 10 metres (33 feet), and judging by some of the dimensions it probably represents the largest predatory dinosaur ever discovered in Europe."
Barker admitted that it would be better if there were more bones. However, he told AFP the "numbers don’t lie" -- the specimen is larger than any other known specimen.
Thomas Richard Holtz from the University of Maryland, who is a vertebrate paleontologist, said that the new discovery "doesn't seem to be bigger" than the fossilized remains of a large predator discovered in Portugal.
Researchers hope to officially name the White Rock spinosaurid as a new species. It is believed to have been discovered in the Early Cretaceous period and is approximately 125 million years of age. Barker stated that it is the youngest known spinosaurid to be found in Britain. It is two- or three million years older than the well-known Baryonyx.
Spinosaurids are well-known for their long heads. Their faces are more like those of a crocodile than they have a boxy skull like a Tyrannosaurus Rex. One theory is that they hunted both on land and water.
Barker stated that they are "kind of like storks or herons, wading into and snatching fish off the surface".
The White Rock Spinosaurid was found in a lagoonal coastal environment, where very few dinosaur fossils are usually found.
Barker said, "It helps begin to paint a picture what animals were living at the time. This is a very poor part of English Palaeontological Heritage," Barker stated.
Two new spinosaurid species were discovered by the team on the Isle of Wight. One was Ceratosuchops Inferodios, which is also known as the "hellheron".
"This new animal bolsters the previous argument -- published lastyear -- that spinosaurids dinosaurs originated in Western Europe and diversified before becoming more common," said Darren Naish, study co-author.
Chase was remembered by paleontologists as a man who donated all the bones he found to museums.
"Most of these incredible fossils were discovered by Nick Chase, one of Britain’s most skilled dinosaur hunters who sadly died just prior to the COVID epidemic," stated Jeremy Lockwood, a University of Portsmouth PhD student.
Barker stated that Chase's "uncanny" ability to locate bones proved that it wasn't just professional paleontologists making an impact in the discipline.
He said that the discovery "highlights how collectors have an important role in modern paleontology, and their generosity helps science move forward," he explained.
The paleontologists also said that they would be happy to receive more White Rock spinosaurid bone specimens from anyone who wants to follow Chase's footsteps.
Barker stated, "We hope that someone might pick up some bits to donate them to us."
This new discovery is part of a string of recent major paleontological discoveries made in England and Scotland.
Scientists announced that the fossil of a 170-million year-old pterosaur was found on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, in February. It is the best-preserved prehistoric winged reptile skeleton. Paleontologists announced in January that they had discovered the fossilized remains a Jurassic "sea Dragon" in England.
Scientists on the Isle of Wight found a new type of theropod dinosaur in 2020. It is a close relative to the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Vectaerovenator, or Vectaerovenator, inopinatus is believed to be 13-foot tall and lived during the Cretaceous period (about 115 million years ago).
