The Isle of Wight is one of the richest dinosaur localities in Europe, with over 20 species of dinosaur having been recognised from the early Cretaceous Period (in particular between 132 and 110 million years ago), some of which were first identified on the island, as well as the contemporary non-dinosaurian species of crocodile, turtle and pterosaur.

Geological strata

The Isle of Wight has layers of the Vectis and Wealden fossil bearing beds exposed on the southern half of the island. These are revealed in the cliffs of Yaverland , close to Sandown, and Hanover Point and Whale Chine, along the southwestern coast.

The Cretaceous habitat

The Island's dinosaurs come from the Wessex formation , which dates from between 125 and 110 million years go. During this time the Isle of Wight, then located on a latitude at which North Africa resides today, had a subtropical enviroment, and was part of a large river valley complex, which ran along the south coast of England to Belgium. A world of ponds, rivers and swamps, and so had conditions favourable for the formation of fossils.

Animal remains from this time include crocodiles, turtles, pterosaurs, mammals and possibly some birds. In the water were snails, fish and mussels.

As this enviroment did not change much over the course of 10 million years, a large number of fossils were formed, and so the island today is a very rich habitat.

List of dinosaur species

Unless otherwise specified, the follow is a list of dinosaurs for which almost complete skeletons have been found on the island. There are also many more species known only from a single or very few bones.

Order Ornithischia

• Suborder Ornithopoda ("bird-footed", bipedal herbivores)
  • Iguanodon bernissartensis: Vertebrae of the two Iguanadon species are particularly common.
  • Iguanodon atherfieldensis
  • Valdosaurus canaliculatus
  • Hypsilophodon foxi: Named after Reverend Fox, a fossil collector of the Isle of Wight who found several skeletons.

• Suborder Thyreophora ("shield-bearers", armored herbivorous dinosaurs)
  • Polacanthus foxi: Also named after Reverend Fox. Notable as no head to the specimine has ever been found, and reconstructions are based upon suppositions from similar anklosaurids .

Order Saurischia

• Suborder Sauropodomorpha ("sauropod-like", giant long-necked herbivores)
  • The 'Barnes High' sauropod: A member of the Brachiosauridae family, most likely Eucamerotus or Pelorosaurus . This is the most complete specimen from the Wealden era.

• Suborder Theropoda ("beast foot", bipedal carnivores)
  • Baryonyx walkeri: Teeth are common on the Island. Hand bones have also been found.
  • Eotyranus lengi: possily the oldest member of the tyrannosaurid family. First identified in 1997 and named in 2001 from a single specimen found on the island.
  • Neovenator salerii: The holotype skeleton was found on the island.

References

• Deborah Cadbury, The Dinosaur Hunters (Forth Estate) ISBN 1-85702-963-1; a history of the early history of the discovery of dinosaurs in the United Kingdom. Includes brief references to collectors on the island.

External links

• Dinosaurs at Dinosaur Isle The website of Dinosaur Isle, an Isle of Wight paeleonotological museum.
• Dinosaur Farm - Another local museum.
• The Palaeontological Association - Official website.

Other meanings

Dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight (The Palaeontological Association , 2001) ISBN 0-901-702-72-2, is also the title of a field guide to dinosaurs found on the island, by Darren Naish and David Martill .