National Museum NII curator and paleontologist Dr. A team of experts from the University of Portsmouth and the University of Queens Belfast, led by Mike Simms, have formally confirmed the only dinosaur bones ever found on the island of Ireland.

The two fossil bones were discovered by the late Roger Byron, a schoolteacher and fossil collector, who donated them and other fossils to the Ulster Museum. Analysis confirmed that it was from the early Jurassic rocks found on Islandmaji on the east coast of County Antrim.

The Ulster Museum has announced plans to display the latest two restrictions when they reopen.

National Museums NI Dr. Sims said: “This is a very important discovery. Because of the great rarity of such fossils, most of the rocks in Ireland are the wrong age for dinosaurs, and it is impossible to confirm the presence of dinosaurs on these shores because they are so old or so small. Two dinosaur fossils found by Roger Byrne may have hit the ocean, either alive or dead, and sank off the coast of Jurassic.

Article published Procedures of the Geologists Association, Is part of a larger project to document Jurassic rocks in Northern Ireland, and draws numerous fossils from the Ulster Museum’s collections.

Although the fossils were initially thought to be from the same animal, the team was surprised to find that they were from two completely different dinosaurs. The study, using the latest technology available, identified the type of dinosaur that comes with each. One is the four-legged plant Scylidosaurus, which is part of the heel (upper leg bone) of the heater. The other is the part of the flesh-eating tibia (lower leg bone) that has two legs similar to sarcosos.

The high-resolution 3D digital models of the fossils were developed by the University of Portsmouth University team of researchers, researcher Robert Smith, and actually Professor David Martill of Balimony. Produced by Patrick Collins.

Robert Smith said: “When we analyzed the shape and internal structure of the bones, we realized that they belonged to two very different animals. One is a very compact and sturdy, armored plant-heater model. The other is the thin, skeletal walls and features that only fast-moving two-legged predatory dinosaurs are called theropods. ”

“Despite the fragmentation, these fossils provide valuable insights into a very important period in dinosaur evolution about 200 million years ago. It was during this time that the dinosaurs dominated the world’s terrestrial ecosystems. ”

Professor Martil said: “Scholoidosaurus remains at sea level, and I began to think it might have been a coastal animal, perhaps even eating seaweed like marine iguanas.”

University of Portsmouth

Title Image – Dr. of National Museums NI. Mike Sims, theropod tibia on the left and Schleidosaurus femur on the right. Image Credit: National Museums NI