In a development that underscores the haphazard nature of scientific discovery, a dinosaur bone from Antarctica has been identified in a drawer at the Natural History Museum in London. The specimen, originally collected in the early 20th century, had lain unrecognised for over a century until a routine re-examination by Dr. Helena Vance and her team brought it to light.
The bone, a partial femur from a sauropodomorph, dates to the Early Jurassic, approximately 190 million years ago. This finding pushes back the timeline of dinosaur habitation in Antarctica by 20 million years, challenging previous assumptions about dinosaur migration and adaptation to polar conditions. The specimen was part of a collection gathered during the heroic age of Antarctic exploration, specifically from the Terra Nova Expedition led by Robert Falcon Scott.
The bone's significance was overlooked because it was stored among geological samples rather than palaeontological ones. Dr. Vance, a geophysicist with a side interest in palaeontology, noted that this mistake is emblematic of the challenges in organising vast historical collections.
The identification involved CT scanning and comparison with known specimens from other continents. The bone shows signs of a slow metabolism, possibly an adaptation to the long polar night. This discovery provides crucial data for climate modelling, as it suggests that Antarctica's climate during the Early Jurassic was temperate enough to support large reptiles.
The find highlights the untapped potential of museum archives and reinforces the need for systematic digitisation and re-examination of legacy collections. Dr. Vance called for increased funding for such efforts, stating that each unexamined drawer could hold a piece of the planet's climatic puzzle.
The discovery is published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology and will be displayed at the museum from next month.
