A fossil kept in the Natural History Museum in London for about a century has been identified as a new genus and species of predatory dinosaur. Invictibellatrix amberina lived roughly 120 million years ago in what is now southern England’s Isle of Wight and belonged to the two-legged carnivorous group known as megaraptorans.
The partial braincase was discovered by amateur paleontologist Reginald Walter Hooley. After his death, the museum acquired the specimen, but it was never formally studied. Paleontologists recently used CT scans to produce a three-dimensional model of its skull and brain, then compared it with fossils from other dinosaurs.
The analysis identified distinctive features, including an oval opening where the spinal cord entered the brain and an hourglass-shaped structure on top of the skull. These characteristics supported the classification of a previously unknown genus and species.
Based on comparisons with related dinosaurs, the researchers estimate that Invictibellatrix was about 10 feet long and 5 feet tall. It may have had feathers and curved claws measuring around seven inches, which it could have used to hunt small dinosaurs, lizards and mammals. Although it was not the dominant predator of its ecosystem, study co-author Cassius Morrison said it could have posed a greater danger to humans than Tyrannosaurus rex because of its relative size.
The genus name means “unconquered female warrior” in Latin. The researchers said the name was intended to convey hope and strength to people facing bullying, discrimination, victimization and oppression. The species name, amberina, refers to amber in the geological formation where the fossil was found.
The discovery, published in Royal Society Open Science on October 14, also addresses a gap in scientists’ understanding of how megaraptorans spread around the world. Some researchers have proposed that the group originated in Asia before reaching Europe and later Gondwana, the supercontinent that included areas corresponding to present-day Africa, South America, Australia and Antarctica.
Until now, the absence of European megaraptor fossils had left that route without key evidence. The new species is the first reported European member of the group and could support the idea that megaraptorans reached Gondwana through Europe and Africa rather than by moving between islands farther south.
Researchers emphasize that additional fossils are needed to test this interpretation. If the classification is confirmed, Invictibellatrix would help connect megaraptor discoveries from Southeast Asia with those from Australia and South America, while also demonstrating the scientific value of revisiting long-overlooked museum collections.
Sources: Smithsonian Magazine.