MSGID: 1:317/3 6479707a   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Multiple species of semi-aquatic dinosaur may have roamed pre-historic   
   Britain    
      
     Date:   
         June 1, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of Southampton   
     Summary:   
         Palaeontologists studying a British dinosaur tooth have concluded   
         that several distinct groups of spinosaurs -- dinosaurs with   
         fearsome crocodile-like skulls -- inhabited southern England over   
         100 million years ago.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
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   Palaeontologists at the University of Southampton (UK) studying a British   
   dinosaur tooth have concluded that several distinct groups of spinosaurs   
   - - dinosaurs with fearsome crocodile-like skulls -- inhabited southern   
   England over 100 million years ago.   
      
   The team, from the University's EvoPalaeoLab, carried out a series   
   of tests on the 140 million year old tooth, discovered in the early   
   20th century, in a thick, complicated rock structure named the Wealden   
   Supergroup. The Wealden lies across south-eastern England and was formed   
   around 140-125 million years ago.   
      
   The scientists conducted statistical analysis on the tooth, which is   
   stored at the Hastings Museum and Art Gallery in East Sussex. They   
   meticulously compared its characteristics with other species in the   
   spinosaur 'family' of dinosaurs to which it belongs. Their findings,   
   published in the journal PeerJ, confirm the tooth doesn't match that of   
   any identified spinosaur species.   
      
   Project supervisor, Dr Neil Gostling explains: "While we can't formally   
   identify a new species from one tooth, we can say this spinosaur tooth   
   doesn't match any of the existing species we know about. Given how many   
   individual teeth exist in collections, this could be just the tip of   
   the iceberg and it's quite possible that Britain may have once teemed   
   with a diverse range of these semi-aquatic, fish-eating dinosaurs."   
   The Wealden is famous for its spinosaur fossils. Baryonyx -- discovered   
   in Surrey in 1983 -- is one of the world's most significant spinosaur   
   specimens, since it was the first to reveal the true appearance of this   
   crocodile-headed group. Less impressive spinosaur remains -- isolated   
   teeth -- are common throughout the Wealden, and have often been identified   
   as belonging to Baryonyx. However, some experts have long suspected that   
   this is incorrect.   
      
   "We used a variety of techniques to identify this specimen, in order to   
   test whether isolated spinosaur teeth could be referred to Baryonyx,"   
   said lead author Chris Barker, whose PhD focuses on the spinosaurs of   
   southern Britain.   
      
   "The tooth did not group with Baryonyx in any of our data runs. It must   
   belong to a different type of spinosaur."  The results show that distinct   
   and distantly related spinosaur types lived in the region during Early   
   Cretaceous times. This backs up research by the EvoPalaeoLab team, who   
   argued in previous studies that the spinosaurs of southern England are   
   more diverse than previously thought.   
      
   In 2021, they named the 'Hell Heron' Ceratosuchops from the Isle of   
   Wight, and in 2022 announced the discovery of what might be Europe's   
   largest ever land predator, a giant known only as the 'White Rock'   
   spinosaur. These several spinosaurs did not all live at the same time,   
   but inhabited the region over the course of more than 15 million years.   
      
   "Museums themselves are places to make exciting discoveries as our   
   understanding of specimens changes from the time they were deposited,"   
   said Dr Neil Gostling. "What this work highlights is the importance   
   of keeping collections alive, and developing our understanding of   
   them. Curators are essential to help us navigate the cupboards and   
   displays, helping us to unpick the often-incomplete records -- either   
   never fully recorded, or lost to time.   
      
   The diversity of palaeoenvironments is not always hidden in rocks, it is   
   often waiting in a museum, its importance waiting to be rediscovered!"   
   Co-author Darren Naish said "Dinosaur teeth preserve numerous anatomical   
   details, and we can use various analytical techniques to see how   
   similar, or different, they are to other teeth. Our new study shows   
   that previously unrecognised spinosaur species exist in poorly known   
   sections of the Wealden's history, and we hope that better remains will   
   be discovered that improves our knowledge. Here's another reminder that   
   even well-studied places like southern England have the potential to   
   yield new dinosaur species."   
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Plants_&_Animals   
                   # New_Species # Extinction # Nature # Biology   
             o Fossils_&_Ruins   
                   # Dinosaurs # Fossils # Ancient_DNA # Paleontology   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Dinosaur o Ichthyosaur o Feathered_dinosaurs o   
             Parallel_evolution o Albertosaurus o Jurassic o Brachiosaurus   
             o Canine_hybrids   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Southampton. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Related Multimedia:   
       * Spinosaur_tooth   
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Chris T. Barker, Darren Naish, Neil J. Gostling. Isolated tooth   
      reveals   
         hidden spinosaurid dinosaur diversity in the British Wealden   
         Supergroup (Lower Cretaceous). PeerJ, 2023; 11: e15453 DOI:   
         10.7717/peerj.15453   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230601160144.htm   
      
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