New ‘sail-backed’ dinosaur named after Dame Ellen MacArthur

A new kind of dinosaur which had a “catchy sail” along his back was named after the sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur.

The dinosaur, unearthed on the island of Wight, received the name of Istiorachis Macaruthurae with the first word meaning “spine” and the second referring to the family name of Dame Ellen.

The eating yachts the world record said that it was an “immense honor”, adding: “The fact that the” sail “of Istiorachis could be compared to the sails that I spent so much my life below was very touching.”

After being analyzed, he has now been officially appointed and described by the scientist of island Jeremy Lockwood, and is now exposed to Dinosaur Isle Museum in Sandown.

The medium-sized herbivore once traversed the floodplaces of what is now the southwest coast of the island.

His remains, which dates back to 125 million years, were originally discovered by the fossil hunter Nick Chase, who died of cancer in 2019.

Before Dr. Lockwood’s analysis, fossils were supposed to belong to one of the two species of Iguanodontian dinosaurs known on the island of Wight.

He said: “Although the skeleton was not as complete as some of the others who were found, no one had really watched these bones before.

“We thought that it was only another specimen of one of the existing species, but it had particularly long neuronal thorns, which was very unusual.

“It may have been used for display, a bit like the feathers of a peacock, perhaps to attract companions or intimidate the rivals.”

For the study, the researchers compared the fossilized bones with a database of similar dinosaurs bones which allowed them to see how these veil type formations had evolved.

Lady Ellen, founder and pattern of the charity based in East Cowes, The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, said: “This is certainly not a daily event to ask if a newly discovered dinosaur could refer to your name in its title.

“I was somewhat surprised when this conversation started, but I felt extremely privileged to wonder.

“The fact that the Istiorachis” sail “could be applied to the sails that I spent so much from my life below was very touching.

“It is both extraordinary and a huge honor that a creature living 125 million years ago could be linked to my last name.”

She became the fastest person to sail in the world in the world in 2005.