The Natural History Museum has just released a video of a recent field trip to the Isle of Wight – officially the best place in Europe to find dinosaurs and the fossils of numerous prehistoric animals, from ammonites to alligators.
Featuring Professor Paul Barrett and Dr Susie Maidment, the video – just short of eight minutes – reveals their top six dinosaurs that once lived on the Isle of Wight.
Barrett: A treasure trove for palaeontologists
Islanders are already aware of how rich the Isle of Wight is with dinosaur finds, but did you realise that our dinosaur-containing rocks are up to 130 million years old?
Professor Barrett explains,
“All sorts of animals lived alongside the dinosaurs. We have fossils of crocodiles, turtles, tiny mammals, lizards, amphibians, fish, plants, things like freshwater clams and there are also fossils of flying reptiles.
“It’s a treasure trove for lots of different kinds of palaeontologists.”
Professor Barrett went on to say,
“At the moment, we’re probably finding a new dinosaur every couple of years on the Isle of Wight.”
Island experts
The footage also features Theo Vickers and Jack Wonfor from Wight Coast Fossils, as well as Dr Martin Munt, curator and manager of Dinosaur Isle Museum.
Watch the video
Click on the play button and then click on the full screen icon
Find out more
You can read more about the experts’ visit to the Island by visiting the Natural History Museum Website.
Image: © Natural History Museum
