Scientists name a newly discovered dinosaur after a famous figure.
Dinosaur with a distinctive sail on its back and tail has recently been named Istiorachis macaruthurae in honour of record-breaking yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur.
As per Sky News, the dinosaur's name, Istiorachis means "sail spine," while macaruthurae honors Ellen MacArthur, a record-breaking sailor from the Isle of Wight where its fossils were found.
The fossils, which date back 125 was identified and named by Jeremy Lockwood, a PhD student at the University of Portsmouth and the Natural History Museum.
These fossils were initially thought to belong to a known dinosaur species, but Dr Lockwood found they had unusually long spines, showing it was a new type.
In a study published in the journal Papers in Palaeontology, Dr Lockwood said the dinosaur likely had a prominent sail along its back.
The purpose of this feature is unclear, with theories suggesting it could have helped regulate body heat or store fat.
In this case, researchers think it was most likely to be for "visual signalling, possibly as part of a sexual display."
Dr Lockwood said his team showed Istiorachis's spines "weren't just tall, they were more exaggerated than is usual in Iguanodon-like dinosaurs, which is exactly the kind of trait you'd expect to evolve through sexual selection."
Professor Susannah Maidment from the Natural History Museum said that Lockwood’s detailed study of fossils which had been in museum collections for years, has helped reveal and better understand the iguanodontian dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight.
