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A rare dinosaur fossil from Antarctica is found tucked away in a drawer
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Key Points:
- A rare dinosaur fossil, specifically a tail bone from a titanosaur, was discovered in Antarctica's James Ross Island in 1985 but only recently identified as dinosaur remains.
- The fossil was initially collected by geologist Mike Thomson during a British Antarctic Survey expedition and was misclassified as a large reptile until paleontologist Mark Evans re-examined it decades later.
- Titanosaurs were long-necked, plant-eating dinosaurs, and this individual was about 23 feet long, possibly young, living in a much warmer and forested Antarctica millions of years ago.
- The fossil likely became preserved after the dinosaur's body floated out to sea and sank, embedding in marine rock, and modern technology allowed detailed analysis that confirmed its dinosaur origin.
- Thomson, who passed away in 2020, never knew the fossil's true identity, but colleagues believe he would have been pleased with the discovery, which was published in Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.
