Utterly Bizarre” – Scientists Discover Another New Species of Dinosaur on Isle of Wight.#CREATER#saravananarunachalam#voiceover#podcaster#tamilpodcast in cuddalore#sciencenews

The discovery of a new species marks the second hypsilophodont family member identified on the Isle of Wight, indicating that Europe hosted a unique group of small herbivorous dinosaurs, distinct from those in Asia and North America.

Researchers have unveiled the discovery of a new species of small plant-eating dinosaur on the Isle of Wight in southern England (UK). on the Isle of Wight, located in southern England. Named Vectidromeus insularis, this species represents the second finding from the hypsilophodont family on the island. This suggests that Europe had its own family of small herbivorous dinosaurs, distinct from those found in Asia and North America.

Hypsilophodonts were a group of nimble, bipedal herbivores that lived around 125 million years ago. The animals lived alongside early tyrannosaurs, spinosaurs, and Iguanodon. The new fossil represents an animal about the size of a chicken but was a juvenile and may have grown much larger.

Vectidromeus is a close relative of Hypsilophodon foxii, a dinosaur originally described in the Victorian era, and one of the first dinosaurs to be described from relatively complete remains. Small and with gracile, with bird-like hindlimbs, hypsilophodonts were used by famous scientist Thomas Henry Huxley as evidence that birds were related to dinosaurs.

Hypsilophodon is also found on the Isle of Wight but was found higher up in the rocks, perhaps two or three million years younger than Vectidromeus. Vectidromeus differs in details of the hip bones, suggesting it’s a closely related but distinct species.

Dr Nicholas Longrich, from the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, led the study. He said: “Paleontologists have been working on the Isle of Wight for more than a century, and these fossils have played an important role in the history of vertebrate paleontology, but we’re still making new discoveries about the dinosaur fauna as the sea erodes new fossils out of the cliffs.”

Clues from Ancient Rock Formations

The Cretaceous strata on the Isle of Wight are hundreds of meters thick and may span several million years – scientific consensus is still not entirely clear how old they are – so the fossils may be sampling a whole series of evolving ecosystems, each with a different set of species.

The discovery was made as part of a collaboration led by the University of Bath, along with the University of Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight Dinosaur Museum in Sandown, and local fossil collectors.

“Working with the amateur community is really important,” said Longrich. “It’s good to have a diverse team; everyone brings something different to the table. These guys have spent their lives collecting and preparing these fossils, they know details about the rock, the geology, and the bone that nobody else does. Everyone sees different pieces of the puzzle.”

Co-author on the study Professor Dave Martill from the University of Portsmouth said: “It is utterly bizarre that so many new dinosaurs are being discovered on the Isle of Wight.

“Vectidromeus is the seventh new species of dinosaur to be discovered in the last four years. This is all down to the amateur collectors.”