A new species and genus of dinosaur found in southern England has been named more than 25 years after it was first discovered. It was found in fossil collections that were being cared for by the Natural History Museum, London.
Named Paludohadros proudlovii, it was discovered at the quarry site wienerberger’s Ewhurst brick and roof tile works (Ewhurst Works) in Surrey in 2001. The fossils were then donated to the London museum.
The dinosaur, which is described in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, is a member of the iguanodontians: a group of herbivorous dinosaurs that typically had thumb-spikes on their hands. The purpose of these is currently unknown, with some researchers suggesting they may have been used to fend off predators, or for stripping vegetation from trees.
The Paludohadros proudlovii specimen was similar in size to a rhinoceros when it died, measuring around five metres long and weighing around 1.5–2 tonnes. However, the researchers note that its bones don’t appear to have been fully developed, likely making it a juvenile. It could’ve been twice as large if it had reached adulthood.
Paludohadros proudlovii is thought to have lived around 125 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous Period. During that time, southern England would have been covered in muddy wetlands, which helped give the dinosaur its name: ‘palus’ means ‘swamp’ in Latin.
Iguanodontian specimens found in southern England were previously classified as Iguanodon or its smaller relative Mantellisaurus. However, a redescription of the latter was published by Natural History Museum scientists in 2023, identifying key differences.
This led to palaeontologists re-examining fossils in the care of museums, resulting in newly described iguanodontians such as Brighstoneus, Comptonatus, Istiorachis and now Paludohadros.
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The name of the species – proudlovii – honours Will Proudlove, the former manager of Ewhurst Works. Sadly, Will died at the age of 35 shortly before Paludohadros was excavated, leaving behind his wife Rachael as well as their two young children.
“Will always had an interest in dinosaur fossils and was fascinated about what, if anything, would be uncovered each time a layer of clay was removed from the quarry,” says Rachael Proudlove. “Sadly, this dinosaur was only discovered the year after he died, but its story has become a part of our lives since then.
“We were invited to go and look at it being excavated back in 2001, so it’s amazing to hear all this time later that it’s not just a new species of dinosaur, but a new genus too. We’re absolutely overjoyed and honoured that Will’s name and legacy will live on in this dinosaur.”
Paludohadros would have lived alongside other dinosaurs including Baryonyx walkeri. This two-legged carnivore was discovered in 1983, also at Ewhurst Works, and palaeontologists believe the two dinosaurs might have had a close connection.
“Paludohadros was found just 100 metres away from Baryonyx, whose fossils we also look after at the Natural History Museum,” explains professor Susannah Maidment of the Natural History Museum, London, and the University of Birmingham, who worked on the reclassification project.
“While Baryonyx is best known for eating fish, this dinosaur’s last meal also included a baby iguanodontian. We can’t tell for certain which species this came from, so it’s possible that Baryonyx could have been scavenging on the remains of young Paludohadros or even hunting them when it had the opportunity.”
More research is now being done on the Natural History Museum’s iguanodontian collections – which could lead to the discovery of more dinosaur species that are currently unrecognised.
Read the full paper here.
Top image: a reconstruction of the iguanodontian dinosaur Paludohadros proudlovii walking through mud along the edge of a shallow body of water. In the background is Baryonyx. Illustration: Guilherme Gehr
