A fossilized bone, Antarctica's first confirmed dinosaur discovery, has been identified decades after its initial excavation. The bone, part of a titanosaur's tail, was found in 1985 on James Ross Island by geologist Mike Thomson, who classified it as belonging to a large reptile.
For over 40 years, the specimen remained in a drawer within the British Antarctic Survey's geology collection in Cambridge. Paleontologist Mark Evans recently rediscovered the bone and, with a research team, conducted a comparison with more complete dinosaur remains. Their analysis confirmed the bone belonged to a long-necked, herbivorous titanosaur, a finding published in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.
Dinosaur fossils are rare in Antarctica due to its icy terrain, though the continent once supported lush forests. The identified titanosaur is estimated to have been about 23 feet long, which is considered small for its group. Scientists theorize the creature may have died young, potentially floating from the coast before sinking to the seafloor and becoming fossilized in marine rock.
Thomson, the geologist who originally found the bone, passed away in 2020 before modern technology could facilitate its definitive identification. "If he were still with us, he would be delighted to know what this was," Evans stated, according to the Associated Press.