ISLE OF WIGHT DINOSAURS

["Darren Naish" <dwn194@soton.ac.uk>]

Hello all friends and mortal enemies..

I've just learnt that Steve Hutt us giving a talk here at my
institution this evening (17-30 GMT) on DINOSAURS - ASAIK, just
dinosaurs in general, but perhaps more specifically on the new finds
he has there on the Isle of Wight. These have been much discussed in
the dino-forums in this country and include a new subadult brachiosaur
and an amazing new allosauroid (in press).

The brachiosaur may turn out to be referrable to any of the taxa
coined earlier this century or last century (e.g. _Pelorosaurus_,
_Ornithopsis_) and Steve has even suggested that the new animal, as
complete as it is, may show that more than one of the taxa are
actually the same type of animal. The allosauroid, known from
substantial postcrania and a wonderful skull, has been on display at
the Museum of Isle of Wight Geology for at least 2 years now - it has
been widely figured in the press and some of you own photos of
it. Then there is _Polacanthus_ (several recent finds, and a new
species from Horsham, Sussex [Blows has completed the description -
has it been published?]), bits of dryosaurs, numerous iguanodonts and
baryonychid teeth. There are also some pretty bit pterosaur fragments
(probably ornithocheirid) and the controversial pachycephalosaur
_Yaverlandia_. Dave Lambert told me that the pachycephalosaurian
status of this skull fragment is now in doubt - anyone know any more
on this?

Anyhow, I'll report once I've heard the talk. It's 13-00 here now, so
I've got a whole afternoon ahead of me yet.

"A back handed slap - - from a carnivore?"

DARREN NAISH