At the bottom of a crumbling cliff on the Isle of Wight was a fossilized tail from a dinosaur that roamed the World 125 million years ago.
In the base of a cliff-side in the area of Brighstone were found the fossilized remains of the dinosaur – believed to be an iguanodon.
But excavations and attempts to salvage the tail for detailed analysis are currently being thwarted, due to safety risks posed by the crumbling cliff.
Beach-goer Pippa Fairweather, 45, discovered the fossil in a cliff face near Brighstone on the Isle of Wight, describing the find as ‘pretty impressive’.
It is thought around six vertebrae have been uncovered, and Isle of Wight radio reports that the dinosaur died and was exposed to the elements for several months before being buried by a large flash flood.
Iguanodons were herbivores that measured up to 30 feet (10 meters) tall and weighed more than four tons (4,000kg).
Oliver Mattsson, an expert from the Dinosaur Farm near to the find on the Isle of Wight, said: ‘Complete skeletons of the iguanodon have been found but we don’t know how much of this one is there, because it is inaccessible due to the safety risk being too great.
‘Given the cliff, as it is, and the rain we have been having, it is unsafe to go near it.
‘The iguanodon is the most common type found, as the dinosaur has been found on all continents.’
Ms. Fairweather, who is from Freshwater on the island and runs an online retail shop, said it is between Brighstone’s Grange Farm and Isle of Wight Pearl.
She adds: ‘But is in a seriously over-hanging cliff which seems to be crumbling constantly, so people need to be super careful.’
Experts are also urging locals to not attempt to extract the fossil for the risk of damaging it or endangering themselves.
Src: archaeology-world.com
