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New Iguanodontian Dinosaur Named Paludohadros proudlovii in England
Confirmed
In Short: A new species of iguanodontian dinosaur, Paludohadros proudlovii, has been discovered in southern England and named in honor of Will Proudlove.
The newly discovered dinosaur, Paludohadros proudlovii, was named after Will Proudlove, who managed the Ewhurst brick and roof tile works where the fossil was found.
Proudlove, who passed away at 35 shortly before the discovery, had a history of checking for dinosaur fossils at the quarry.
The dinosaur lived around 125 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous Period and was found in the Weald Clay Formation at Smokejacks Brickworks.
Paludohadros proudlovii is the first named iguanodontian from this geological layer, and its name reflects the swampy environment of southern England at the time.
The Natural History Museum confirmed that the remains belong to an iguanodontian, a group known for their thumb spikes.
Lead author Ricardo Sacamoto said, “I still remember the incredible moment when I realized that this was a new species that no one had ever identified before.”
The discovery adds to the growing list of newly named iguanodontians, including brighstoneus, comptonatus, and istiorachis.
Professor Susannah Maidment noted, “ Paludohadros proudlovii was found just 100 m away from Baryonyx, whose fossils we also look after at the Natural History Museum, London.”
The dinosaur's remains suggest that iguanodontians occupied a wider range of body sizes in coastal environments, adding to the diversity of ancient ecosystems.
While Baryonyx is known for eating fish, this dinosaur's last meal included a baby iguanodontian, indicating a varied diet.
Sacamoto expressed his honor at naming the first species he has ever discovered, stating, “ Paludohadros proudlovii is the first species I’ve ever named and I’m honored to have been able to work on it.”
What this adds
The discovery highlights the ongoing research into the diversity and ecology of iguanodontians, particularly in coastal environments.
The naming of the dinosaur in honor of Proudlove underscores the impact of individuals in the field of paleontology.
What's confirmed
- A new species and genus of dinosaur has been named after a Surrey dad.
What's still developing
- Historically, it added that iguanodontians found in southern England were considered to be either Iguanodon or its smaller relative, mantellisaurus.
- Rachel said the dinosaur being named after Will - who worked his way up the ranks to become manager - was a "huge" honour.
- Each time a layer of clay was removed from the quarry, Will checked if there was anything that looked like dinosaur fossils, Rachel added.
- At the time, southern England would have been covered in muddy wetlands - helping give the dinosaur its name, as palus means swamp in Latin, it added.
- His wife Rachel told BBC Radio Surrey there was a history of finding dinosaur remains where the father-of-two worked.
- Life reconstruction of the iguanodontian dinosaur Paludohadros proudlovii ; in the distance, the large predatory dinosaur Baryonyx walkeri can be seen.
- Although researchers have described a nearly complete skeleton of a large iguanodontian (approximately 8 meters in length), most specimens consist only of isolated teeth and other fragmentary remains, leaving important questions about their ecology and diversity unresolved.
- The isolated bone was initially thought to be the sternal plate, or breastbone, of a hadrosauroid dinosaur.
- Comparisons with related species suggest that the animal was approximately 3 meters long, making it substantially smaller than other iguanodontians previously recovered from the same formation.
- A detailed morphological analysis has now identified the fossil as the right sternal plate of an indeterminate styracosternan, a derived iguanodontian group that includes hadrosauroids.
- Recent discoveries in Japan have strengthened evidence that iguanodontians lived in coastal environments along eastern Asia.
- Iguanodontians were widespread plant-eating dinosaurs that lived from the Late Jurassic through the Late Cretaceous.