Dinosaur breed usually found in China and Brazil discovered in UK for first time
A dinosaur breed usually only found in China and Brazil has been discovered in the UK for the first time by a fossil collector walking his dog on the beach.
The jawbone from a pterodactyl was unearthed at Sandown Bay on the Isle of Wight and identified by a palaeontology student from the University of Portsmouth.
With a finely pointed beak, the peculiarly shaped fragment is specific to a group of pterosaurs called ‘tapejarids’, which are most commonly found in China and Brazil.
Tapejarids were unique in that they had no teeth, but tiny holes which held minute sensory organs for detecting food.
It is hoped the discovery will prompt a renewed drive to find out if other similar fossils are lurking on the Isle of Wight and across the UK.
The researchers have pledged to scour the archives of the Natural History Museum in London to ensure there are none from the same species which have been overlooked.
Professor David Martill, from the University of Portsmouth, told The Daily Telegraph: "Tapejarids were first discovered in Brazil in the 1980s then ten years later in China. There were none found in Europe until five years ago when one turned up in Spain, then another was found in Africa.
"This one on the Isle of Wight is absolutely delightful. I really hope this will lead to future discoveries. When lockdown is voer, we should encourage kids to go fossil collecting on the beach!"
Megan Jacobs, the student who identified the jawbone, said she was gobsmacked when the fossil collector, Mick Green, put it down on his kitchen table as they shared a cup of tea.
"I had a look and instantly recognised it as a pterosaur beak," she told The Daily Telegraph.
"My colleagues at the University of Portsmouth had been studying some Moroccan pterosaur beaks, so I'd been seeing very similar material at university. This was very exciting, as no one had found a pterosaur beak before on the Isle of Wight.
"It feels great to be involved in such an important discovery. Part of what I love about fossil collecting is you never know what's going to turn up, and Mick always has a different fossil waiting every time we visit for a cuppa!"
The jawbone has been donated to the Dinosaur Isle Museum at Sandown.
