Dr Cassius Morrison

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First European megaraptoran dinosaur identified from 102-year-old Isle of Wight fossil

Led the study that identified the new species

A fossil that spent more than a century in a London museum drawer has a new identity. Researchers identified the skull fragment, collected on the Isle of Wight in the 1920s, as a new species of megaraptoran, a tiger-sized, long-clawed predator related to Tyrannosaurus rex.

Updated Oct 19

Notable Quotes

It was not the apex predator of its time, but for humans this dinosaur would have been more dangerous than a T. rex. We would have been perfectly sized prey.

from First European megaraptoran dinosaur identified from 102-year-old Isle of Wight fossil · Updated Oct 19

They definitely would have chased us. A T. rex would not have bothered, as we would have been too small.

from First European megaraptoran dinosaur identified from 102-year-old Isle of Wight fossil · Updated Oct 19

Megaraptorans are very unique among theropods because they have relatively small and slender heads but had long and strong arms with massive hand claws as well as very lightly built skeletons.

from First European megaraptoran dinosaur identified from 102-year-old Isle of Wight fossil · Updated Oct 19