The fossil was discovered a century ago when researchers found the occiput (the back and lower part of the skull) of the species. However, the species has remained unidentified for 102 years. Palaeontologists recently realised that it is the fossil of a completely new species of dinosaur – Invictibellatrix Amberina. While the generic name Invictibellatrix translates to “unconquered female warrior” from Latin, Amberina mirrors the shades of a tiger or traditional amberina art glass, referencing its estimated appearance and colour palette.

Invictibellatrix Amberina is a species of Megaraptoran dinosaur discovered from the 120-million-year-old fossil skull fragment that sat overlooked in the Natural History Museum of London for over a century. Named in October 2026, it represents the first Megaraptoran ever discovered in Europe.

Amateur palaeontologist Reginald Walter Tooley found this holotype fossil, a partial braincase skull fragment, on the Isle of Wight, the UK in 1924. Later, he took the fossil to the Natural History Museum. Finally, the identity of the fossil has been revealed by Dr Cassius Morrison and his colleagues from the University College London (UCL) after 102 years as the research was funded by the Paleontographical Society, the Royal Society and UK Research and Innovation. The Royal Society Open Science journal recently published the research paper, documenting the finding.

Modern technology, like CT scanning, has allowed palaeontologists to examine its unique skull features and classify it as a completely new species. It was a lightly built, agile predator estimated to be roughly 13-16 feet (three-five metres) long and about five feet (1.5 metres) tall, roughly the size and weight of a large tiger.

Research has revealed that Invictibellatrix Amberina, too, were a ferocious species, just like Tyrannosaurus rex (T-Rex, a genus of large theropod dinosaur). Although Invictibellatrix Amberina were much smaller than T-Rex, they were more dangerous. These bipedal, long-clawed carnivorous dinosaurs roamed on the Earth in the early Cretaceous Period, roughly 120 million years ago.

Talking to the media, Dr Morrison, the Lead Author, said: “We would have been perfectly sized prey, about a third of their body weight. They definitely would have chased us. A T rex would not have bothered, as we would have been too small. It is a real mystery that this fossil was overlooked for so long, sitting in a drawer for nearly 100 years.” He added: “Lots of bones are found on the Isle of Wight – who knows what else is waiting to be discovered.”

According to Dr Morrison, Invictibellatrix Amberina would have been three to four-metres long, just over a metre and a half in height, with feathers and claws between 10 and 20cm-long. It would have eaten small dinosaurs, lizards and mammals. Palaeontologists believe that Megaraptors originated in Asia before migrating through Europe.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das