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1h ago

New Sail-Backed Dinosaur From Isle of Wight Named Istiorachis Macarthurae

Researchers conclude the elongated spines most likely served as visual signaling driven by sexual selection.

The dinosaur would have had an exaggerated sail-like feature on its back.
Istiorachis macarthurae is one of many Iguanodon relatives that have recently been discovered on the Isle of Wight. © James Brown
Image
Jeremy Lockwood, pictured with the spinal column of Istiorachis macarthurae

Overview

  • The peer-reviewed description by Jeremy A. F. Lockwood, David M. Martill and Susannah C. R. Maidment was published in Papers in Palaeontology with DOI 10.1002/spp2.70034.
  • The fossils, about 125 million years old from the Wessex Formation near Grange Chine, were re-examined from museum collections after being assumed to belong to known local iguanodontians.
  • The new taxon is characterized by hyper-elongated dorsal and caudal neural spines that would have supported a pronounced sail.
  • The holotype, MIWG 6643, comprises a partial skeleton including cervical, dorsal and caudal vertebrae, rib heads, a partial sacrum, and both pubes and ischia.
  • The name Istiorachis macarthurae combines ‘sail spine’ with an homage to Dame Ellen MacArthur, and the study’s comparative and ancestral-state analyses indicate neural-spine elongation evolved recurrently in iguanodontians, with true hyper-elongation remaining rare.