SCIENCE

New dinosaur species discovered on Isle of Wight

In the UK, on the Isle of Wight, fossils of a hitherto unknown dinosaur species have been found. The species has been named Vectipelta barretti.

The results of the discovery were published in the scientific journal 'Journal of Systematic Paleontology'. It states that the dinosaur would have pointed blade-like armour and that despite its unassuming appearance, it would in fact have only eaten plants.

This is not the first species of dinosaur to be found on the Isle of Wight. Twenty-nine have been found over the years and in 2021 two previously unknown ones were discovered.

@PaleoStu - Twitter
New dinosaur species discovered
In the UK, on the Isle of Wight, fossils of a hitherto unknown dinosaur species have been found. The species has been named 'Vectipelta barretti'. The results of the discovery were published in the scientific journal 'Journal of Systematic Paleontology'. It states that the dinosaur would have pointed, blade-like armour and that despite its unassuming appearance, it would in fact have only eaten plants.
@PaleoStu - Twitter
Yet another discovery on the Isle of Wight
This is not the first dinosaur species to be found on the Isle of Wight. Twenty-nine have been found over the years and in 2021 two previously unknown ones were discovered. (Pictured is a reconstruction by Stuart Pond, one of the principal researchers involved in the project, of what the dinosaur would have looked like)
Natural History Museum, London
What did the dinosaur look like
According to scientists studying the new dinosaur, the 'Vectipelta barretti' has different neck, pelvis and back bones than the already known 'Polacanthus foxii'. The newly discovered species may instead be more closely related to the ankylosaur species that inhabited China.
Natural History Museum, London
The importance of discovery
The discovery of this new species, according to scholars, could be important in understanding whether dinosaurs actually became extinct due to an asteroid falling to Earth and how life later recovered.
Natural History Museum, London
Why it was called Vectipelta barretti
Finally, a curiosity. The 'Vectipelta barretti' was named after Professor Paul Barrett, a long-standing authority on dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum in London.
Informativa ai sensi della Direttiva 2009/136/CE: questo sito utilizza solo cookie tecnici necessari alla navigazione da parte dell'utente in assenza dei quali il sito non potrebbe funzionare correttamente.