Swamp dinosaur that roamed England’s wetlands 125 million years ago identified from Surrey brickworks fossil

In: Science

A swamp-dwelling dinosaur species that roamed England around 125 million years ago has been identified from a fossil uncovered at Surrey’s iconic Ewhurst brickworks.

The fossil specimen was discovered over 25 years ago and was cared for by the Natural History Museum. It was first identified as a member of the Iguanodontians – a group of dinosaurs known for their characteristic thumb spikes.

But it remained unclear whether it belonged to the subgroup Iguanodon or its smaller relative Mantellisaurus.

A study published in 2023 on Mantellisaurus has allowed key differences to be identified, say researchers from the Natural History Museum.

This has led palaeontologists in recent years to reexamine fossils in the Natural History Museum’s care.

A reconstruction of the iguanodontian dinosaur Paludohadros proudlovii walking through mud along the edge of a shallow body of water
A reconstruction of the iguanodontian dinosaur Paludohadros proudlovii walking through mud along the edge of a shallow body of water (Guilherme Gehr)

The newly identified species, named Paludohadros proudlovii, was a four-legged herbivore that roamed southern England during the Early Cretaceous Period when the region was covered in muddy wetlands.

The “palus” in the dinosaur’s name means “swamp” in Latin, while the species name, “proudlovii”, honours Will Proudlove, a former employee of the Ewhurst Works who had worked his way up through the ranks to become manager.

Will died at the age of 35 shortly before Paludohadros was excavated, leaving behind his wife Rachael and children Ellie and Matt.

“Sadly, this dinosaur was only discovered the year after he died, but its story has become a part of our lives since then,” Rachael Proudlove said.

Skull bones
Skull bones (Tim Burgess (Wienerberger Ltd))

Measuring around 5m (16ft) long and weighing around 1.5 to 2 tonnes, the Paludohadros proudlovii specimen would have been a similar size to a rhino, according to the new study published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.

But since the fossil bones don’t appear to have been fully developed, researchers suspect the individual was still a juvenile, meaning the species could potentially have grown much larger large as an adult.

Living in the swamps of prehistoric England, P proudlovii would have lived alongside several other dinosaurs, including the fearsome two-legged carnivore Baryonyx walkeri, scientists say.

“Paludohadros was found just 100m (328ft) away from Baryonyx, whose fossils we also look after at the Natural History Museum. While Baryonyx is best known for eating fish, this dinosaur’s last meal also included a baby iguanodontian,” said Susannah Maidment, the study’s senior author and a professor at the Natural History Museum.

“We can’t tell for certain which species this came from, so it’s possible that Baryonyx could have been scavenging on the remains of young Paludohadros or even hunting them when it had the opportunity,” Dr Maidment said.