The Discovery
A dinosaur fossil that sat overlooked in a museum collection for nearly a century has been identified as a previously unknown predator. Found on the Isle of Wight, the skull fragment entered the Natural History Museum in 1924. A research team led by University College London re-examined the specimen using CT scanning technology to build a 3D model of the skull and braincase. Their findings, published in Royal Society Open Science, identified the creature as Invictibellatrix amberina, a name translating to "unconquered female warrior."
What Scientists Found
Living roughly 120 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period in what is now Britain, Invictibellatrix was a two-legged, meat-eating dinosaur. It was about the size of a large tiger, measuring three to four meters in length and over one and a half meters in height. Scientists believe it was likely feathered and possessed curved claws between 10 and 20 centimeters long.
As a member of the megaraptoran group, which is closely related to tyrannosaurs, this dinosaur hunted differently than its relatives. Instead of relying on crushing jaws, it used a narrow head along with strong arms and heavy claws to capture prey. It occupied an ecological role similar to a modern hyena, feeding on small mammals, lizards, and small dinosaurs. Detailed scans revealed unique features distinguishing it from other species, including an hourglass-shaped crest and an oval opening for the spinal cord.
Why It Matters
Megaraptoran fossils are extremely rare, leaving gaps in the understanding of how these carnivores spread across ancient continents. Researchers previously hypothesized that megaraptorans originated in Asia, moved across Europe, and reached the southern supercontinent of Gondwana. However, no megaraptoran remains had ever been discovered in Europe until now.
The identification of Invictibellatrix provides the first direct proof that megaraptorans inhabited Europe before expanding south. While the group later vanished from northern landmasses like Laurasia by the Late Cretaceous, their southern counterparts eventually grew into massive apex predators.
Source: dinosaur fossil discovery - BingNews · Published October 17, 2026 · Photo by Scott Evans on Unsplash