A remarkable new species of dinosaur has been identified from fossils unearthed on the Isle of Wight, boasting a striking sail-like structure along its back and tail, believed to have been used for sexual display or social signalling.
The dinosaur, named Istiorachis macarthurae, combines the Greek for “sail spine” with a tribute to Dame Ellen MacArthur, the record-breaking yachtswoman who hails from the island. The discovery was made by retired GP Jeremy Lockwood, currently a PhD student at the University of Portsmouth and affiliated with the Natural History Museum.
The fossils, dated at approximately 125 million years old, had been part of the Natural History Museum’s collection and were initially misidentified as belonging to known iguanodontian species. However, Lockwood’s detailed examination revealed unusually long neural spines—structures extending from the vertebrae—far more pronounced than those in related species.
Published in the journal Papers in Palaeontology, Lockwood’s research suggests these exaggerated spines evolved through sexual selection, similar to how modern reptiles use physical features to attract mates or deter rivals. He noted that despite the skeleton being incomplete, the distinctive spines marked the specimen as a previously unrecognised species.
Professor Susannah Maidment of the Natural History Museum praised Lockwood’s work, highlighting how his meticulous study of overlooked specimens has significantly expanded scientific understanding of iguanodontian diversity in the UK. Over the past five years, Lockwood has identified four new species from the Isle of Wight alone, reshaping the known ecosystem of the Early Cretaceous period in Britain.
This discovery underscores the importance of museum collections and the potential for new insights through re-examination of existing fossils. It also adds to the Isle of Wight’s reputation as a rich site for palaeontological finds, often referred to as the UK’s “Dinosaur Island”.
