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E Panciroli
The fossil was observed in rock on the shoreline of Eigg
A scientist has identified a 166 million-yr-previous dinosaur fossil although functioning together the shore of a tiny Scottish island.
Dr Elsa Panciroli was jogging to satisfy up with her palaeontology study workforce on Eigg when she made the discovery.
In Scotland, dinosaur bone fossils experienced only beforehand been located on the Isle of Skye.
The limb bone is about 50cm (19in) long and assumed to belong to a stegosaurian dinosaur, like the stegosaurus.
Researchers have been looking for dinosaur fossils on the island for about 200 years, but till now fossils from marine reptiles and fish have only been located on Eigg.
Dr Panciroli said the research team was hunting for reptile and fish fossils and experienced not envisioned to uncover evidence of a dinosaur.
Her discovery has been dated to the Center Jurassic period.
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S Brusatte
Dr Elsa Panciroli made the prospect discovery
Dr Panciroli, who functions at Countrywide Museums Scotland, claimed: “It was a bit of a serendipitous discovery.
“It was the in the vicinity of the finish of the day and I was operating to capture up with the rest of the associates of the crew, who have been very significantly absent.
“I realised I experienced run over one thing that didn’t seem correct. It was not very clear particularly what form of animal it belonged to at the time, but there was no question it was a dinosaur bone.”
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E Panciroli
Dr Panciroli’s illustration of what the dinosaur appeared like
She reported it was “massively major” uncover, incorporating: “Globally, Center Jurassic fossils are rare and right up until now the only dinosaur fossils located in Scotland were being on the Isle of Skye.
“This bone is 166 million several years previous and offers us with evidence that stegosaurs ended up residing in Scotland at this time.”
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N Larkin
The fossil is now in a museum in Edinburgh
Dr Steve Brusatte, a palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh, reported: “Elsa’s discovery of this bone is really exceptional.
“This fossil is added evidence that plate-backed stegosaurs made use of to roam Scotland, which corroborates footprints from the Isle of Skye that we determined as being produced by a stegosaur.”
The bone is now in the collections of Countrywide Museums Scotland in Edinburgh.
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