US EditionNew dinosaur named after record-breaking yachtswoman
Istiorachis macaruthurae, with a pronounced sail likely used for sexual display, was identified from 125-million-year-old Isle of Wight fossils, greatly expanding known iguanodontian diversity.
- Scientists have identified Istiorachis macaruthurae, a new iguanodontian with an 'eye-catching sail' from the Isle of Wight, named in honour of yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur.
- Held in museum collections including Dinosaur Isle, fossils from the Isle of Wight, England, date to 125 million years and were assumed to belong to one of the two known iguanodontian species before Jeremy Lockwood, PhD student, re-examined them.
- Using a comparative database, Jeremy Lockwood found the specimen had unusually long neural spines and a pronounced spinal column, distinct from typical Iguanodon-like dinosaurs.
- The discovery expands the known diversity of smaller iguanodontians on the Isle of Wight, as Jeremy Lockwood's research has quadrupled it and Istiorachis shows much remains to learn about Early Cretaceous UK ecosystems.
- Amid long-standing debate, researchers favour Istiorachis's sail-like spines as visual signalling, likely for sexual display, rather than body heat regulation or fat storage.
Insights by Ground AI
Does this summary seem wrong?
30 Articles
30 Articles
By Issy Ronald, CNN Paleontologists have discovered a new species of dinosaur with a very distinctive characteristic: a structure similar to a candle that runs through his back, announced this Friday the Museum of Natural History of London. The bones of Istiorachis macarthurae, named after the British navigator Ellen MacArthur, who broke records, were found on the Isle of Wight, a small island off the southern coast of England, where he wandered…
Coverage Details
Total News Sources30
Leaning Left5Leaning Right3Center13Last UpdatedBias Distribution62% Center
Bias Distribution
- 62% of the sources are Center
62% Center
L 24%
C 62%
14%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
