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The first dinosaur bones in Ireland have been formally confirmed by experts from the University of Portsmouth and Queen’s University of Belfast. The two fossil bones were first discovered by fossil collector Roger Byrne and were later donated with the rest of his extensive fossil collection to the Ulster Museum.
New analyzes have now confirmed that they date back to the earliest Jurassic rocks excavated on the east coast of County Antrim.
The Museum will put them on display when it reopens following the lifting of restrictions on the coronavirus.
Dr Mike Simms, curator and paleontologist at National Museums Northern Ireland, who led the study, said: ‘This is an extremely significant discovery.
“The great rarity of such fossils here is because most Irish rocks are of the wrong age for dinosaurs, too old or too young, making it nearly impossible to confirm the existence of dinosaurs on these shores.
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“Despite being fragmented, these fossils provide valuable information on a very important period in the evolution of dinosaurs, some 200 million years ago.
“This is when the dinosaurs really begin to dominate the world’s terrestrial ecosystems.”
Professor Martill added: “The Scelidosaurus continues to appear in the marine layers, and I’m starting to think it may have been a coastal animal, maybe even eating algae-like marine iguanas do today.”
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