SCIENTISTS DISCOVER NEW DINOSAUR SPECIES IN BRITAIN WITH SAIL-LIKE STRUCTURE ON ITS BACK. (PHOTO).

 Scientists discover new dinosaur species in Britain with sail-like structure on its back

A former PhD student studying 125-million-year-old fossils has identified a new species of dinosaur with a distinctive sail along its back.

The fossils, originally excavated in the 1970s on England’s Isle of Wight, were initially thought to belong to one of the two known iguanodontian species from the area. Jeremy Lockwood, a retired doctor completing his PhD in Palaeobiology at the University of Portsmouth, noticed unusual features in the fossils’ spinal structures, particularly the unusually tall neural spines protruding from the back.

After re-examining bones housed at the Dinosaur Isle Museum and reviewing prior research, Lockwood concluded that the remains represented a previously unidentified species. While the skeleton was incomplete, the bones had never been closely studied, revealing greater dinosaur diversity on the Isle of Wight 125 million years ago than previously understood.

The function of the sail remains uncertain, though Lockwood suggests it was likely used for visual signaling, possibly as part of a sexual display driven by sexual selection. Several other dinosaurs are known to have similar sails, which have also been hypothesized for temperature regulation or fat storage.

Lockwood named the dinosaur Istiorachis macarthurae. The genus name means “sail spine” in Ancient Greek, while the species name honors Isle of Wight sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur, who set a world record for the fastest solo non-stop voyage around the globe in 2005. MacArthur said she was “hugely privileged” to have the species named after her and found the connection between her sailing and the dinosaur’s sail particularly meaningful.

The newly discovered dinosaur was about the size of an American bison, and Lockwood emphasized his preference for naming species in ways that celebrate the Isle of Wight’s paleontological significance. The find adds to a growing list of discoveries on the island, which has seen 10 new dinosaur species identified over the past six years.