Stegosaurus fossil found in Inner Hebrides
Alex Shipman
A STEGOSAURIAN fossil dating back 166million years was stumbled upon by an academic as she ran along a remote island beach.
It proves that dinosaurs roamed further in Scotland than first thought.
Scientists say the 19in fossil found on the Isle of Eigg is “hugely significant” as it is the first unearthed outside the Isle of Skye, a neighbouring island in the Inner Hebrides.
It was discovered by Dr Elsa Panciroli, a research affiliate at National Museums Scotland. She stumbled across the fossil in a boulder as she was raced back to her palaeontology colleagues during fieldwork on Eigg. The bone is now in the collections of National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh.
Dr Panciroli told The Daily Telegraph: “There was a big team of us and we were looking along the shore to see what we could find. It was the end of the day and I was separated from the group.
“I started running along the shore on my way to meet the rest of the team and began hopping boulder to boulder when I spotted it.
“It wasn’t clear exactly what kind of animal it belonged to at the time, but there was no doubt it was a dinosaur bone It was just total luck. Hundreds of people could walk over the same spot and not see it – but once I became aware, it was obvious.”
The latest find follows on from the discovery of footprints belonging to a type of stegosaur on the Isle of Skye, the first evidence of the species in Scotland.
Experts say Eigg and Skye were “probably connected” during the Middle Jurassic era but stressed it was difficult to say with certainty.
“Finding a dinosaur fossil in Scotland, in general, is excellent – but finding one on Eigg for the first time is really exciting.
“Globally, Middle Jurassic fossils are rare and, until now, the only dinosaur fossils found in Scotland were on the Isle of Skye. This bone is 166million years old and provides us with evidence that stegosaurs were living in Scotland at this time,” Dr Panciroli added.
Dr Steve Brusatte, of the University of Edinburgh, described Dr Panciroli’s discovery as “remarkable”.