Europe’s largest predator dinosaur bones found on Isle of Wight

Several prehistoric bones belonging to the two-legged, crocodile-faced spinosaurid dinosaur were discovered, and have been analysed by scientists from the University of Southampton.

The land-based hunter measured more than ten metres long, and lived 125 million years ago.

The spinosurid would have lived at the beginning of a period of rising sea levels, and would have stalked lagoonal waters and sandflats in search of food.

PhD student Chris Barker said: “This was a huge animal, exceeding 32.8ft in length and probably several tonnes in weight.

“Judging from some of the dimensions, it appears to represent one of the largest predatory dinosaur ever found in Europe — maybe even the biggest yet known.

Handout photo issued by University of Southampton of how the best preserved bones would have been positioned on the spinosaurid's giant body.

“It’s a shame it’s only known from a small amount of material, but these are enough to show it was an immense creature.”

The discovered bones of the ‘White Rock spinosaurid’ — named as such because of the geological layer in which the remains were found — include huge pelvic and tail vertebrae.

They were found by dinosaur hunter Nick Chase, who has since died, near Compton Chine, on the south-west coast of the Isle of Wight, in the Vectis Formation geological structure.

The Isle of Wight Council said they will soon be on display at the Dinosaur Isle museum in Sandown, hopefully in time for the school summer holidays.

Scientists suggest that marks on the bone, including little tunnels bored into a lump of pelvis, show that the body of the giant dinosaur would have been picked over by scavengers and decomposers after it had died.

Jeremy Lockwood, a PhD student at the University of Portsmouth and Natural History Museum, said: “We think they were caused by bone eating larvae of a type of scavenging beetle.

“It’s an interesting thought that this giant killer wound up becoming a meal for a host of insects.”