The Discovery
While many people imagine paleontology as endless digging in the dirt, new prehistoric species are frequently recognized inside museum collections. A newly described dinosaur, Paludohadros proudlovii, followed this path after being excavated at the Ewhurst brick and roof tile works, a clay quarry located in Surrey, England. The species was named to honor Will Proudlove, a former quarry manager who passed away at the age of 35.
What Scientists Found
Researchers identified Paludohadros proudlovii as an iguanodon relative that possessed distinctive thumbspikes and fed exclusively on plants. The unearthed specimen measured over 16 feet long and weighed between 3,300 and 4,400 pounds. Analysis revealed that its bones were still developing, indicating that this rhino-sized individual was a juvenile. Scientists estimate that a fully mature adult might have grown to twice that size.
Why It Matters
The genus name stems from the Latin word for swamp, referring to the marshland that covered England roughly 125 million years ago during the Cretaceous period. This plant-eater shared its wetland environment with dangerous predators. Fossils of the spinosaur Baryonyx walkeri were unearthed just 100 meters away in the same quarry. While Baryonyx is primarily known for eating fish, the preserved remains of its final meal contained a young iguanodontian, offering direct evidence of ancient predator-prey interaction.
This dinosaur is one of several iguanodontians identified in southern England following a 2023 study on the group Mantellisaurus. Susannah Maidment and Ricardo Sacamoto of the Natural History Museum in London noted that both the spinosaur and Paludohadros fossils are cared for at their institution. Sacamoto is currently analyzing the museum's iguanodontian collections as part of a doctoral project, which could reveal additional unrecognized dinosaur species.
Source: dinosaur fossil discovery - BingNews · Published October 27, 2026 · Photo by David Clode on Unsplash
