New dinosaur species with 'eye-catching sail' discovered on Isle of Wight, UK

By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) - Scientists in the UK have identified a new dinosaur species that carried a striking sail-like structure along its back and tail, believed to have been used for attracting mates, the Irish broadcaster RTE reported on Friday.

The newly classified iguanodontian dinosaur, named Istiorachis macaruthurae, lived around 125 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period.

Its fossils were unearthed on the Isle of Wight, off England’s south coast, and analyzed by PhD student and retired GP Jeremy Lockwood, in collaboration with the University of Portsmouth and the Natural History Museum.

The species was named in honor of British sailor Ellen MacArthur, who hails from the island and became internationally known for setting the world record for the fastest solo non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in 2005.

The name translates as “sail spine,” combined with MacArthur’s surname.

Lockwood said the unusual shape of the fossil bones distinguished the species from previously known iguanodontians. “It was thought to be just another specimen of one of the existing species, but this one had particularly long neural spines, which was very unusual,” he explained.

The research, published in Papers in Palaeontology, suggests that Istiorachis possessed an elaborate sail along its back.

According to Lockwood, the most likely explanation is that the feature served as visual signaling, potentially for sexual selection.

“Evolution sometimes seems to favour the extravagant over the practical,” he said.

“In modern reptiles, sail structures often show up more prominently in males, suggesting that these attributes evolved to impress mates or intimidate rivals. We think Istiorachis may have been doing much the same.”

The findings were based on comparisons with a database of similar fossilized bones from other dinosaurs.

Researchers concluded that the spines of Istiorachis were not only tall but more exaggerated than is typical for its family, reinforcing the idea that the feature evolved through sexual selection.