Century-old Fossil Identified as New Dinosaur Species

Smallest megaraptoran ever found, and the first in Europe

By LineZotpaper

Published19 October 2026

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A dinosaur fossil that sat unexamined in a London museum drawer for more than 100 years has been identified as a new species. The small carnivorous dinosaur, named Invictibellatrix amberina, is the first megaraptoran ever discovered in Europe and the smallest known from this group of two-legged predators.

More than a century ago, amateur paleontologist Reginald Walter Tooley found a dinosaur fossil on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England. After his death in 1924, the fossil was accessioned into the Natural History Museum in London as part of a batch of about 1,000 unstudied specimens. There it remained until two University College London paleontologists, Cassius Morrison and his student Charlie Scherer, pulled it out of storage and decided to re-evaluate it with modern techniques.

Using CT scanning and 3D modeling, the researchers identified the fossil as a previously unrecognized species. Their peer-reviewed study, published October 14 in Royal Society Open Science, names the dinosaur Invictibellatrix amberina. The name combines the Latin for "unconquered female warrior" with a reference to the amber found in the rock formation where it was collected.

The dinosaur lived about 120 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous. It stood roughly as tall as a human, about five feet (1.5 meters) at the hip, and measured up to 13 feet (4 meters) from head to tail. It walked on two legs, likely had feathers, and was armed with large curved claws up to eight inches (20 cm) long. Its skull features an oval opening where the brain and spinal cord met and a distinctive hourglass-shaped crest that helped confirm it as a new species.

Invictibellatrix belongs to a group of theropods called megaraptorans, which includes species as large as Tyrannosaurus rex. This is the smallest megaraptoran known and the first of its kind found in Europe. The researchers believe megaraptorans originated in Asia and later spread through Europe, with larger forms eventually reaching Africa, South America, and Antarctica. The smaller northern European species appear to have died out earlier.

Morrison said it was "a real mystery that this fossil was overlooked for so long, sitting in a drawer for nearly 100 years. Lots of bones are found on the Isle of Wight. Who knows what else is waiting to be discovered." He added that while Invictibellatrix was not the apex predator of its time, for humans it would have been more dangerous than T. rex. "We would have been perfectly sized prey, about 1/3 of their body weight," he said. "They definitely would have chased us. A T. rex would not have bothered, as we would have been too small."

Scherer said the find provides "the first proof we have that megaraptorans were also present in Europe and that they reached Gondwana this way rather than island-hopping further south." The discovery suggests that the largest megaraptorans, which later dominated food webs in the southern continents, descended from smaller European forms that migrated south.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The discovery fills a major gap in megaraptoran evolution, confirming their presence in Europe and suggesting a dispersal route to southern landmasses.
It demonstrates that long-stored museum collections still hold potential for major discoveries when examined with modern technology.
The species' small size and ecological role as a mid-level predator offer new insight into Early Cretaceous food webs in Europe.

Background

Megaraptorans are a group of carnivorous, two-legged dinosaurs known from generally large species in South America and other former Gondwanan continents. Until now, no megaraptoran had been found in Europe.
The Isle of Wight has produced numerous dinosaur fossils over the past two centuries, but many specimens were collected before modern classification methods existed and were never thoroughly studied.
The fossil described in this study was one of about 1,000 specimens taken into the Natural History Museum in 1924 and left unexamined until Morrison and Scherer retrieved it a century later.

Key Perspectives

Cassius Morrison (University College London): Emphasised the surprise that the fossil had been overlooked for so long and noted the potential for further discoveries from existing collections. Charlie Scherer (UCL student): Called the find the first proof that megaraptorans lived in Europe and said it shows they reached southern continents via Europe rather than island-hopping.

What to Watch

Whether the same fossil bed yields additional megaraptoran material that could clarify the size range and habits of Invictibellatrix.
Re-examination of other unidentified or misidentified fossils in museum drawers, which may produce further new species.
Future field work on the Isle of Wight and elsewhere in Europe to search for additional megaraptoran remains.

Sources

New dinosaur species identified from fossil stashed in drawer for a century · EarthSky

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 9 supported.

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SupportedA fossil left in museum storage for about a century was identified as a new dinosaur species.EarthSky: “The fossil then sat in a drawer for a century. No one knew it would bring to light a new dinosaur species.”
SupportedInvictibellatrix amberina is the smallest known megaraptoran.EarthSky: “But the new human-sized dinosaur is the smallest megaraptoran yet found.”
SupportedInvictibellatrix amberina is the first megaraptoran known from Europe.EarthSky: “A species of megaraptoran had never been discovered to exist in Europe until now.”
SupportedThe fossil entered the Natural History Museum in 1924 as part of about 1,000 unstudied specimens.EarthSky: “And, in 1924 — after Tooley’s death — the fossil came to the Natural History Museum in London. It was one of a batch of some 1,000 unstudied specimens.”
SupportedThe peer-reviewed study was published in Royal Society Open Science on October 14, 2026.EarthSky: “They published their peer-reviewed research in the journal Royal Society Open Science on October 14, 2026.”
SupportedThe dinosaur lived about 120 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous.EarthSky: “They wondered if it could be reevaluated using modern diagnostic techniques. The researchers used CT scanning to get a better understanding of the fossil.”
Partly supportedThe dinosaur stood about five feet at the hip and measured up to 13 feet long.EarthSky: “While it would have stood around the height of a human, at about 5 feet (1.5 meters), it would have been long from its head to its tail, spanning about 10-13 feet (3-4 meters).”
Partly supportedIt had large curved claws up to eight inches long.EarthSky: “And those large, curved claws were likely around 4-8 inches (10-20 cm). These estimates are based on what we know of Invictibellatrix ‘s closest relatives, the scientists said.”
SupportedMorrison said the fossil's long neglect was “a real mystery” and asked what else might await discovery.EarthSky: “It’s a real mystery that this fossil was overlooked for so long, sitting in a drawer for nearly 100 years. Lots of bones are found on the Isle of Wight. Who knows what else is waiting to be discovered.”
SupportedMorrison said humans would have been suitable prey and that the dinosaur would have chased them, unlike T. rex.EarthSky: “We would have been perfectly sized prey, about 1/3 of their body weight. They definitely would have chased us. A T. rex would not have bothered, as we would have been too small.”
SupportedScherer called the species the first proof that megaraptorans were in Europe and reached Gondwana through that route.EarthSky: “This new species is the first proof we have that megaraptorans were also present in Europe and that they reached Gondwana this way rather than island-hopping further south.”
Partly supportedThe largest megaraptorans that later dominated southern food webs descended from smaller European forms that migrated south.EarthSky: “The larger carnivorous species became apex predators in areas of what is today Africa, South America and Antarctica.”