A partial skull fossil of a predator roughly the size of a modern tiger, which lived approximately 120 million years ago on what is now the Isle of Wight, is providing new insights into a little-understood group of carnivorous dinosaurs known as megaraptorans. Researchers identified the specimen as belonging to a species they named Invictibellatrix amberina, representing an early member of this dinosaur lineage that thrived during the Cretaceous Period.

The fossil consists of a fragmented braincase, originally discovered about a century ago and acquired by the Natural History Museum in London in 1924. Its analysis has contributed valuable information on the skull anatomy of early megaraptorans, which have been recognized for their distinctive hunting adaptations, including long claws used to capture and tear prey.

Measuring roughly five meters in length and estimated to weigh approximately as much as a large tiger, Invictibellatrix is believed to have possessed filament-like feathers covering its body, a characteristic inferred from related species within the group. This discovery is notable as the first known megaraptoran specimen from Europe, expanding knowledge of the geographical distribution and evolutionary history of these theropods, which had previously been documented mainly from other continents.

“This specimen helps to clarify the evolutionary development of one of the most enigmatic groups of predatory dinosaurs,” said Charlie Scherer, co-author of the research, which was published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. The findings contribute to ongoing efforts to understand the diversity, anatomy, and global spread of megaraptorans, shedding light on their role in the ecosystems of the Early Cretaceous period.