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Headline: Daughter's delight dad's a dinosaur after new species of British iguanadontian named after her late father
Caption: BY MARK WORGAN A new species of dinosaur has been discovered in Britain, and named after the late manager of a brickworks whose love of the prehistoric beasts helped pave the way for the find. Fossils from the plant-eating dinosaur, now named Paludohadros proudlovii, were discovered at Wienerberger’s Ewhurst brick and roof tile works in Surrey more than 25 years ago and held in the collections of the Natural History Museum in London. It was initially not identified as a new species but new research has helped scientists identify important differences between it and other members of its. iguanodontian group of herbivorous dinosaurs. They are known for their distinctive thumb spikes, and lived about 125 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period. There is a touching and tragic story behind the discovery, however, as the new species name, proudlovii, honours Will Proudlove, a former employee of Ewhurst Works who rose through the ranks to become its manager. Although he was a keen hunter for fossils at the works, he died aged 35 shortly before the fossil was excavated, leaving behind his wife, Rachael, and their young children, Ellie and Matt. Rachael said: “Will always had an interest in dinosaur fossils and was fascinated about what, if anything, would be uncovered each time a layer of clay was removed from the quarry. Sadly, this dinosaur was only discovered the year after he died, but its story has become a part of our lives since then.” She added: “We were invited to go and look at it being excavated back in 2001, so it’s amazing to hear all this time later that it’s not just a new species of dinosaur, but a new genus too. We’re absolutely overjoyed and honoured that Will’s name and legacy will live on in this dinosaur.” The discovery adds to a growing number of newly identified iguanodontian dinosaurs from southern England, following research that has enabled scientists to distinguish between species previously classified as Iguanodon or its smaller relative, Mantellisaurus. The fossilised member of the new species weighed 1.5 and two tonnes when it died — roughly comparable in size to a rhinoceros. However, its bones do not appear to have been fully developed, suggesting the animal was still young. Researchers believe it could potentially have grown to twice its size had it reached adulthood. Paludohadros would have shared its wetland habitat with other dinosaurs, including Baryonyx walkeri, a large, two-legged carnivore discovered at the same quarry in 1983. The fossils of Baryonyx, also held by the Natural History Museum, have attracted considerable scientific interest because of evidence about its diet. Professor Susannah Maidment, a senior author of the study at the Natural History Museum and the University of Birmingham, said the two dinosaurs had been found remarkably close to one another. “Paludohadros was found just 100 metres away from Baryonyx, whose fossils we also look after at the Natural History Museum. While Baryonyx is best known for eating fish, this dinosaur’s last meal also included a baby iguanodontian.” She added: “We can’t tell for certain which species this came from, so it’s possible that Baryonyx could have been scavenging on the remains of young Paludohadros or even hunting them when it had the opportunity.” The identification of Paludohadros has prompted scientists to re-examine other iguanodontian fossils held by the Natural History Museum. Researchers have already identified several additional specimens that may belong to the newly named genus among fossils first collected in the 1950s. The reassessment is expected to continue, potentially leading to the identification of further dinosaur species that have remained unrecognised in museum collections for decades. Ricardo Sacamoto, a PhD student at the Natural History Museum and the University of São Paulo who led the research, said the discovery marked an important milestone in his career. “Paludohadros is the first species I’ve ever named and I’m honoured to have been able to work on it. I still remember the incredible moment when I realised that this was a new species that no one had ever identified before.” He said he planned to investigate the museum’s wider collection as part of his doctoral research. “I’m now going to go through the Natural History Museum’s iguanodontian collections to identify what’s there as part of my PhD. This could lead to the discovery of more new dinosaur species that haven’t yet been recognised.” The research, titled ‘A new iguanodontian dinosaur from the Weald Clay Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of Smokejacks Brickworks, southern England’, has been published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.
Keywords: dinosaur,feature,photo,dinosaurs,science,daughter
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