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New dinosaur species thought to be from T-rex family discovered on Isle of Wight beach by family kicking stones

Palaeontologists from the University of Southampton say the creature lived in the Cretaceous period 115 million years ago - PA/PA
Palaeontologists from the University of Southampton say the creature lived in the Cretaceous period 115 million years ago - PA/PA

A new dinosaur species which palaeontologists believe is related to the T-rex has been discovered on the Isle of Wight with the help of a family who discovered its bones when kicking stones on a beach.

Four bones from the neck, back and tail of the new dinosaur named Vectaerovenator Inopinatus were discovered over several weeks last year on three occasions by beachgoers on foreshore including the family at the seaside resort of Shanklin.

A study by the team from the University of Southampton believe the bones belong to the theropod species of dinosaur, which includes the T-rex and modern day birds.

It is thought the dinosaur lived 115 million years ago in the Cretaceous period when the Isle and much of Europe was covered by sea.

It is believed the animal was originally a land-based creature which evolved to live in the sea and is estimated to have been up to four metres long.

James Lockyer with one of the dinosaur's bones he found - James Lockyer/James Lockyer
James Lockyer with one of the dinosaur's bones he found - James Lockyer/James Lockyer

Paul Farrell, from the Isle of Wight, who discovered the bones said: “I was walking along the beach, kicking stones and came across what looked like a bone from a dinosaur. I was really shocked to find out it could be a new species.” Two other fossil hunters also found bones which researchers say came from the same animal.

The dinosaur has large air spaces in some its bones, which the team believed gave it an efficient breathing system and made its skeleton lighter.

The last dinosaur species found in the UK was in the Vale of GlamorganWales in 2014, when the Dracoraptor's skeleton was found by two fossil-hunting brothers, who spotted the bones in a pile of rubble from a rock fall.

Four bones from the neck, back and tail of the new dinosaur named Vectaerovenator Inopinatus were discovered over several weeks - James Lockyer/James Lockyer
Four bones from the neck, back and tail of the new dinosaur named Vectaerovenator Inopinatus were discovered over several weeks - James Lockyer/James Lockyer

Palaeontologists from the University of Southampton will publish their findings in the journal Papers in Palaeontology.

Chris Barker, a PhD student at the university who led the study, said: “We were struck by just how hollow this animal was – it’s riddled with air spaces. Parts of its skeleton must have been rather delicate.

“You don’t usually find dinosaurs in the deposits at Shanklin as they were laid down in a marine habitat. You’re much more likely to find fossil oysters or drift wood, so this is a rare find indeed.”

The fossils will go on display at the Dinosaur Isle Museum at Sandown on the Isle.

Museum curator Dr Martin Munt told The Telegraph: "It lived at a time when most of Europe was covered by sea. It starts to create a picture of what happened to dinosaurs at that time."