Fossil Kept in London's Natural History Museum for a Century Identified as New Dinosaur Species

Researchers from UCL and London's Natural History Museum revealed on 14 October 2026 that a small skull fragment, acquired by the museum in 1924 after being found at the foot of a cliff on the Isle of Wight, belongs to a previously unknown species of dinosaur now named Invictibellatrix amberina — Latin for "unconquered female warrior" with a nod to amber, the colour of the fossil's matrix. The specimen is approximately 120 million years old, dating to the Early Cretaceous, and makes Invictibellatrix the first megaraptoran ever found in Europe, filling a critical gap in the group's global distribution. Megaraptorans, close relatives of tyrannosaurs, were agile two-legged predators characterised by unusually long, powerful forearms and claws of 10–20 cm — adapted for pinning prey rather than biting. The animal would have stood about 1.5 metres tall and measured three to four metres in length, roughly matching a large tiger in bulk, and likely bore feathers. The identification was made possible by CT scanning of the fossil, which allowed researchers to examine internal skull structure in 3D without damaging the specimen. Lead author Dr. Cassius Morrison of UCL Earth Sciences and senior author Professor Paul Barrett of the NHM published the findings in the journal Royal Society Open Science. The discovery was funded by the Palaeontographical Society, the Royal Society and UKRI.