140 Million-Year-Old Tooth Reveals Diversity of Spinosaurs in Ancient Britain

Diverse Spinosaurs Uncovered in Ancient Britain: 140 Million-Year-Old Tooth Unveils New Findings

An ancient dinosaur tooth, estimated to be 140 million years old, has led paleontologists from the University of Southampton to discover evidence of diverse spinosaur species that once roamed southern England during the Early Cretaceous period. This groundbreaking finding suggests a greater variety of spinosaurs in the region than previously known.

The tooth, which does not match any known species, was meticulously analyzed by the team from the University’s EvoPalaeoLab. Discovered in the early 20th century within the Wealden Supergroup, a complex rock structure formed approximately 140-125 million years ago, the tooth offers valuable insights into the spinosaur diversity of ancient Britain.

Stored at the Hastings Museum and Art Gallery in East Sussex, the tooth underwent comprehensive statistical analysis. The researchers compared its characteristics with other known species within the spinosaur dinosaur family to which it belongs. Their findings, published in the journal PeerJ, confirm that the tooth does not correspond to any previously identified spinosaur species.

Dr. Neil Gostling, the project supervisor, explains, “Although we cannot definitively identify a new species based on a single tooth, we can confidently say that this spinosaur tooth does not match any known species. Given the abundance of individual teeth in collections, this discovery might just be the tip of the iceberg, indicating that Britain may have once been home to a diverse range of these semi-aquatic, fish-eating dinosaurs.”

The Wealden, renowned for its spinosaur fossils, has yielded significant findings over the years. Baryonyx, discovered in Surrey in 1983, played a pivotal role in uncovering the true appearance of this group of crocodile-headed dinosaurs. However, isolated spinosaur teeth, often identified as belonging to Baryonyx, have raised doubts among experts.

Lead author Chris Barker, whose PhD focuses on the spinosaurs of southern Britain, explains, “We employed various techniques to identify this specimen and determine whether isolated spinosaur teeth could be attributed to Baryonyx. However, our data runs consistently failed to group the tooth with Baryonyx. This suggests that it belongs to a different type of spinosaur.”

The results of the study reveal the existence of distinct spinosaur types that were distantly related and inhabited the region during the Early Cretaceous period. These findings support previous research by the EvoPalaeoLab team, who have argued that the spinosaurs of southern England exhibit more diversity than previously believed.

In recent years, the team named the ‘Hell Heron’ Ceratosuchops from the Isle of Wight in 2021 and announced the discovery of a potential contender for Europe’s largest land predator, an enormous spinosaur referred to as the ‘White Rock’ spinosaur, in 2022. Although these spinosaurs did not coexist, their presence spans more than 15 million years in the region.

Dr. Neil Gostling emphasizes the importance of museums in making exciting discoveries and developing our understanding of specimens. He states, “This work highlights the significance of keeping collections alive and expanding our knowledge of them. Curators play a crucial role in navigating through cupboards and displays, helping us unravel the often-incomplete records that were either never fully recorded or lost to time. The diversity of paleoenvironments is not always concealed in rocks; it often awaits discovery within museums.”

Co-author Darren Naish adds, “Dinosaur teeth preserve numerous anatomical details, and through various analytical techniques, we can compare their similarities or differences to other teeth. Our study demonstrates that previously unrecognized spinosaur species existed in less-explored sections of the Wealden’s history. We hope that future discoveries of better

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More about spinosaurs diversity ancient Britain

• University of Southampton: Link
• EvoPalaeoLab: Link
• PeerJ Journal: Link
• Hastings Museum and Art Gallery: Link