New dinosaur species identified in Britain 25 years after fossil discovery

More than 25 years after its fossilised remains were discovered in a clay quarry in southern England, researchers have identified a new genus and species of herbivorous dinosaur that lived approximately 125 million years ago in what is now Surrey, Britain.

The discovery highlights how fossils preserved in museum collections for decades can turn out to belong to previously unrecognised species, even when they have already been studied and classified within known groups.

The researchers named the dinosaur Paludohadros proudlovii after re-examining fossils discovered in 2001 at Ewhurst quarry, which formed part of a brick and roof-tile factory, before they were transferred to the Natural History Museum in London. The findings were published on 27 October in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.

A dinosaur from the swamps

Ricardo Sacamoto, a PhD researcher in palaeontology at the Natural History Museum in London and the University of São Paulo in Brazil, who led the study, said the first part of the dinosaur’s name derives from the Latin word for “swamp”, referring to the environment in which it lived. Approximately 125 million years ago, large areas of southern England were covered by muddy wetlands.

The second part of the name honours Will Proudlove, the former quarry manager, who died at the age of 35, approximately a year before the fossils were discovered, according to Sacamoto.

He explained that the dinosaur belonged to a group known as iguanodontians, herbivorous dinosaurs that became widespread around the world during the Early Cretaceous Period. Some members of this group had distinctive thumb spikes.

For decades, palaeontologists believed that most iguanodontian fossils discovered in southern England belonged to two previously identified dinosaurs. However, a detailed study published in 2023 re-examined the skeleton of the smaller of the two, revealing anatomical differences that had not been apparent under earlier classifications.

As scientists gained a better understanding of these differences, they began re-examining fossils held in museum collections. This has led to the identification of several new iguanodontian species in recent years, with Paludohadros being the latest.

Was it prey for a carnivorous dinosaur?

The newly identified dinosaur walked on four legs and fed on plants. The discovered individual measured approximately five metres in length and weighed an estimated 1.5 to two tonnes, making it comparable in size to a rhinoceros.

However, its bones had not fully developed, suggesting that it was still a juvenile when it died. According to the study, it may have grown to twice that size as an adult, although its eventual size remains uncertain.

Sacamoto noted that the fossil was found less than 100 metres from the site where remains of the predatory dinosaur Baryonyx were discovered in 1983. This two-legged carnivore is best known for feeding on fish.

Researchers believe that the last known meal of Baryonyx also included a juvenile iguanodontian, raising the possibility that Paludohadros was among its prey.

However, they cannot identify the species to which that juvenile belonged. It is therefore impossible to establish whether Baryonyx hunted Paludohadros or scavenged its remains.

Both possibilities remain open, but the available evidence is insufficient to confirm either explanation.