Illustration of a spinosaurid from White Rock by Anthony Hutchings. A new study by paleontologists at the University of Southampton’s EvoPalaeoLab shows that several different groups of spinosaurs inhabited Britain during the Cretaceous. Credit: UoS/A Hutchings
A recent study by the University of Southampton shows that different groups of spinosaurs lived in the chalk Britain challenging previous beliefs. Using a Spinosaurus tooth from the Hastings Museum, the researchers determined it belonged to another kinds, rather than the commonly identified baryonyx. This discovery highlights the rich diversity of spinosaurs in southern England and the potential to discover new dinosaur species in well-studied regions.
Analysis of a British spinosaurus tooth by palaeontologists at the University of Southampton’s EvoPalaeoLab shows that several different groups of spinosaurs inhabited Britain during the Cretaceous.
It is kept in the collections of Hastings Museum and Art Gallery in East Sussex, the fossil which forms the basis of the new research was gifted to the museum in 1889. It was collected from local Lower Cretaceous rocks of the Wealden Supergroup, a thick, complex rock sequence deposited in south-east England between 140 and before 125 million years.
The Wealden is famous for its spinosaur fossils. Baryonyx – discovered in the Wealden of Surrey in 1983 – is one of the most significant spinosaur specimens in the world, as it was the first to reveal the true appearance of this crocodile-headed fish-eating group. Less impressive Spinosaurus remains – isolated teeth – are common at Weldon and are often identified as belonging to Baryonyx. However, some experts have long suspected this to be false, and this is confirmed by a new study published in the PeerJ Life and Environment.
(A) Schematic geology of the Lower Cretaceous deposits of the Weald Subbasin (SE England), highlighting published spinosaurid finds (Charig & Milner, 1997; Salisbury & Naish, 2011; Turmine-Juhel et al., 2019). Based on Austen & Batten (2018: Fig. 2). Note that various additional spinosaur teeth are known from the region but remain undescribed in detail (Fowler, 2007). (B) Simplified stratigraphic column of the Weald Group in south-east England, based on Batten & Austen (2011: Fig. 3.2). Note that the Grinstead Clay Formation, which subdivides the Tunbridge Wells Sands Formation in Batten & Austen (2011) and from which the type specimen of ‘Suchosaurus cultridens’ (Salisbury & Naish, 2011) was recovered, is downgraded to a member of the latter formation in other papers (Hopson, Wilkinson & Woods, 2008) and is not included in this column. Credit: Spinosaurid silhouette courtesy of Dan Folks
“We used a variety of techniques to identify this specimen to test whether the isolated spinosaurus teeth could be referred to baryonyx,‘ said lead author Chris Barker, whose PhD focused on spinosaurs from southern Britain. “The tooth does not group with Baryonyx in any of our data executions. It must belong to a different type of spinosaurus.
The results show that different and distantly related spinosaur species lived in the region during the Early Cretaceous. This supports research by the EvoPalaeoLab team, who have argued in previous studies that spinosaurs from southern England were more diverse than previously thought. In 2021 they called the “hell heron” Ceratosuchops from the Isle of Wight, and in 2022 announced the discovery of what may be Europe’s largest land carnivore, a behemoth known only as the White Rock Spinosaurus. These few spinosaurs did not live at the same time, but inhabited the region for more than 15 million years.
(A) Lingual, (B) basal, (C) mesial, (D) distal, and (E) labial views. (F–G) Close-up of the enamel texture on the labial tooth surface. Abbreviations: ca, carina; ce, cervix; ko, crown; ent, enamel texture; flu, flute; puc, pulp cavity (filled); ro, root. Scale bar (A–E): 10 mm, (F–G): 1 mm. Credit: PeerJ
“Museums themselves are places to make exciting discoveries, as our understanding of specimens changes from the moment they are deposited. What this work highlights is the importance of keeping collections alive and advancing our understanding of them. Curators are essential in helping us navigate the cabinets and display cases, helping us pull out the often incomplete records—either never fully written or lost to time. The diversity of paleoenvironments isn’t always hidden in rocks, it’s often waiting in a museum, its importance waiting to be rediscovered!” said Dr. Neil Gostling
“Dinosaur teeth preserve a lot of anatomical detail, and we can use different analytical techniques to see how similar or different they are to other teeth. Our new study shows that previously unrecognized species of spinosaurs exist in little-known parts of the Wealden’s history, and we hope that better remains will be found that improve our knowledge. Here’s another reminder that even well-studied places like southern England have the potential to yield new dinosaur species,” said Dr Darren Naish
For more on this research, see 140-million-year-old tooth reveals diversity of spinosaurs in ancient Britain.
Reference: “An isolated tooth reveals hidden diversity of spinosaurid dinosaurs in the British Wealden Supergroup (Lower Cretaceous)” by Chris T. Barker, Darren Naish and Neil J. Gostling, 31 May 2023, PeerJ.
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15453