Istiorachis macarthurae
"sail spine"
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Istiorachis 5 m (16.4 ft) long
as long as 3 people standing fingertip to fingertip
- Length
- 5 m (16.4 ft)
- Period
- Early Cretaceous (145–100 Mya)
- Place
- United Kingdom
- Food
- Herbivore
- Clade
- Dinosauria The clade containing all dinosaurs, terrestrial archosaurs with upright limbs.
Istiorachis (meaning “sail spine”) is an extinct genus of iguanodontian ornithopod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian age) Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, England. The genus contains a single species, Istiorachis macarthurae, known from a partial postcranial skeleton including several vertebrae, incomplete ribs, and part of the pelvis. Its vertebral are notably elongated, giving the animal a ‘sail-backed’ appearance.
What we know
- Named by Lockwood, Martill & Maidment, 2025.
- Fossils found in United Kingdom.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Istiorachis — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.