A new genus and species of dromaeosaurid dinosaur has been discovered by a team of paleontologists from the University of Bath and the University of Portsmouth.
Life reconstruction of Vectiraptor greeni. Image credit: Gabriel Ugueto.
The newly-identified dinosaur species roamed our planet during the Early Cretaceous epoch, between 130 and 125 million years ago.
Named Vectiraptor greeni, the ancient creature measured about 2.5-3 m (8.2-9.8 feet) long.
It was a member of Dromaeosauridae, a very large family of feathered predatory dinosaurs.
Vectiraptor greeni’s fossilized remains (two associated vertebrae and a partial sacrum) were collected from the Wessex Formation at Compton Bay, Isle of Wight.
“During the Early Cretaceous, England supported a highly diverse dinosaur assemblage,” said Dr. Nicholas Longrich, a paleontologist in the Department of Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Bath, and his colleagues.
“Perhaps the most diverse assemblage comes from the Wessex Formation of the Wealden Group, on the Isle of Wight.”
“While complete remains are rare, the fauna has been sampled and studied for over a century, and includes both fossils and footprints, with around 20 dinosaur species now known. This high diversity is surprising because Europe was isolated from the rest of the world by seas for much of the Cretaceous.”
Relative size of Vectiraptor greeni (top) and position of recovered elements (below). Image credit: Longrich et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2021.105123.
According to the team, Vectiraptor greeni closely resembles Early Cretaceous eudromaeosaurs from North America, suggesting a faunal exchange between Europe and North America.
“The diverse Early Cretaceous dinosaur assemblage found in England and Europe resulted from dispersal from North America, Asia, and West Gondwana, likely involving both land bridges and oceanic dispersal,” the paleontologists said.
“Europe served as a biotic crossroads in the Early Cretaceous, allowing faunal interchange between landmasses.”
A paper describing the discovery was published in the journal Cretaceous Research.
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Nicholas R. Longrich et al. A new dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the Wessex Formation (Lower Cretaceous, Barremian) of the Isle of Wight, and implications for European palaeobiogeography. Cretaceous Research, published online December 17, 2021; doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2021.105123
Source link: https://www.sci.news/paleontology/vectiraptor-greeni-10385.html
