New species of dinosaur related to T. rex discovered on Isle of Wight

Scientists at the University of Southampton believe bones found on the Isle of Wight belong to new a species of dinosaur related to the Tyrannosaurus rex.

Four bones were discovered by three different groups of people at Shanklin last year, who all handed in their finds to the nearby Dinosaur Isle Museum at Sandown.

The dinosaur has been named Vectaerovenator inopinatus and is part of the theropod group that includes Tyrannosaurus rex and modern-day birds.

Palaeontologists from the University of Southampton say the creature lived in the Cretaceous period 115 million years ago and is estimated to have been up to four metres long.

The bones, discovered on the foreshore at Shanklin last year, are from the neck, back and tail.

Scientific studies have confirmed the fossils are very likely to be from the same individual dinosaur, with the exact location and timing of the finds adding to this belief.

Robin Ward, a regular fossil hunter, was with his family visiting the Isle of Wight when they made their discovery

After studying the four vertebrae, palaeontologists from the University of Southampton confirmed that the bones are likely to belong to a genus of dinosaur previously unknown to science.

Their findings will be published in the journal Papers In Palaeontology.