Wessex Formation

Iguanodon ( ; meaning 'iguana-tooth'), named in 1825, is a genus of iguanodontian dinosaur. While many species found worldwide have been classified in the genus Iguanodon, dating from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, taxonomic revision in the early 21st century has defined Iguanodon to be based on at least one well-substantiated species: Iguanodon bernissartensis, which lived during the Barremian to early Aptian ages of the Early Cretaceous in Belgium, Germany, England, and Spain, between about 126 and 122 million years ago. Iguanodon was a large, bulky herbivore, measuring up to in

Hypsilophodon (; meaning "high-crested tooth") is a neornithischian dinosaur genus from the Early Cretaceous period of England. It has traditionally been considered an early member of the group Ornithopoda, but recent research has put this into question.

Polacanthus (from the Ancient Greek polys-/πολύς- "many" and akantha/ἄκανθα "thorn" or "prickle") is an extinct genus of ankylosaurian dinosaurs from the early Cretaceous (130–125 million years ago) of England. Several species have been named in the genus Polacanthus, but only the type species, Polacanthus foxii, is currently seen as valid. There are not many fossil remains of this dinosaur, and some important anatomical features, such as its skull, are poorly known. It grew to about long. Its body was covered with armour plates and spikes. It may be a basal member of the Nodosauridae or part

Neovenator (nˈiːə͡ʊvˌɛne͡ɪtə; "new hunter") is an extinct genus of carcharodontosaurian theropod dinosaur. It is known primarily from several skeletons found in the Early Cretaceous (Hauterivian–Barremian) Wessex Formation on the south coast of the Isle of Wight, southern England. The first remains of Neovenator were discovered in 1978 alongside those of the ornithopod Brighstoneus, after the collapse of part of Grange Chine. In 1996, Steve Hutt, David Martill and Michael Barker named the genus Neovenator. One species is known: the type species, N. salerii, after the Salero family who owned th

Eotyrannus (meaning "dawn tyrant") is a genus of tyrannosauroid theropod dinosaur hailing from the Early Cretaceous Wessex Formation beds, included in Wealden Group, located in the southwest coast of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The remains (MIWG1997.550), consisting of assorted skull, axial skeleton and appendicular skeleton elements, from a juvenile or subadult, found in a plant debris clay bed, were described by Stephen Hutt and colleagues in early 2001. The etymology of the generic name refers to the animal's classification as an early tyrannosaur or "tyrant lizard", while the specif

Yaverlandia (meaning "of Yaverland Point/Yaverland Battery") is an extinct genus of possible dinosaur known from two partial fossil skulls found in Lower Cretaceous strata of the Wessex Formation (Upper Silty Bed) in the Isle of Wight, England. When the first known specimen, MIWG 1530, was first described in 1930 by D. M. S. Watson, similarities were noted with the ornithopod genus Vectisaurus (now Mantellisaurus) and the theropod genus Troodon. In 1936, it was ultimately assigned to the former. It was recognised as a distinct genus in 1971 by Peter Galton, who re-examined the remains. Galton

Aristosuchus (from the Ancient Greek ἄριστος, meaning "bravest, best, noblest", and σουχος, the Ancient Greek corruption of the name of the Egyptian crocodile-headed god Sobek) is a genus of small coelurosaurian dinosaur that lived in the Early Cretaceous period (Barremian stage, sometime between 130 and 123 million years ago) of what is now England, UK. The type and only species is Aristosuchus pusillus, originally referred to the carnosaurian genus Poekilopleuron.

Valdosaurus ("Weald lizard") is a genus of bipedal herbivorous dryosaurid dinosaur known from the Early Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight and elsewhere in England. Originally its remains were believed to belong to Hypsilophodon. In 1889, Richard Lydekker assigned them to Camptosaurus, alongside a partial lower jaw, and applied the name Camptosaurus valdensis. In the 1970s, Peter Galton reassigned these remains to a new species of Dryosaurus, then to an entirely new genus and species, that being Valdosaurus proper. The type and only species of Valdosaurus, named by Galton, is V. canaliculatus.

Ornithodesmus (meaning "bird link") is a genus of small, dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the Isle of Wight in England, dating to about 125 million years ago. The name, along with that of the type and only species, O. cluniculus, was originally assigned to a bird-like sacrum (a series of vertebrae fused to the hip bones), initially believed to come from a bird and subsequently identified as a pterosaur. More complete pterosaur remains were later assigned to Ornithodesmus. More recently, a detailed analysis determined that the original specimen in fact came from a small theropod, specifically a drom

Ceratosuchops (meaning "horned crocodile face") is a genus of spinosaurid from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) Wessex Formation of Britain. The type species is C. inferodios, known from skull fragments (a snout tip and a partial braincase) recovered between 2013–2017 from Chilton Chine on the Isle of Wight, and housed at the Dinosaur Isle Museum in Sandown. It was named in 2021 by a team consisting of Chris Tijani Barker, Darren Naish, David W. E. Hone, and colleagues, alongside Riparovenator milnerae.

Chondrosteosaurus (meaning "cartilage and bone lizard") is a dubious genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Wessex Formation of England. Two species have been named: C. gigas and C. magnus, both of which are now considered invalid.

Calamosaurus (meaning "reed lizard") is a genus of small theropod dinosaur, from the Early Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight, England. It is based on two cervical vertebrae (NHMUK PV R 901), collected by Reverend William Fox. These fossils come from sedimentary rocks of the Wessex Formation and are Barremian in age. The type species of Calamosaurus, named Calamospondylus foxi by Richard Lydekker, was named in honour of Fox. Calamospondylus, however, was a preoccupied name, forcing Lydekker to change the genus name to Calamosaurus. This has subsequently led to immense confusion, with some authors

Riparovenator ("riverbank hunter") is a genus of baryonychine spinosaurid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) period of Britain. The genus contains a single species, Riparovenator milnerae.

Oplosaurus (meaning "armed or weapon lizard" or "armoured lizard"; see below for discussion) was a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian stage) Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, England. It is known from a single tooth usually referred to the contemporaneous "wastebasket taxon" Pelorosaurus, although there is no solid evidence for this.

Iuticosaurus (meaning "Jute lizard") is a genus of titanosaur sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight. Two species have been named: I. valdensis and I. lydekkeri. I. valdensis was found in the Wessex Formation and I. lydekkeri in the younger Upper Greensand.

Comptonatus (meaning "the Compton thunderer") is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur from the early Cretaceous period. Its remains are known from the Wessex Formation in England. The type and only species is C. chasei.

Calamospondylus (meaning "reed vertebrae") is a dubious genus of theropod dinosaur. It lived during the Early Cretaceous and its fossils were found on the Isle of Wight in southern England. The type species is C. oweni, named in 1866 in an anonymous publication written largely by its discoverer, the Reverend William Fox. The description given by Fox was brief and listed no unique diagnostic characteristics; between this and the fact that the specimen has been lost, C. oweni is now considered a nomen dubium. The presence of expansive hollows in the bone led Fox to speculate that it was arboreal

Eucamerotus (meaning "well-chambered", in reference to the hollows of the vertebrae) is an extinct genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) Wessex Formation (Wealden) of the Isle of Wight, England. The type specimen, part of a vertebra (one of the bones of the spine), was discovered in the autumn of 1869 by John Hulke. After confirming its point of origin with the Rev. William Fox, Hulke presented his find to the Geological Society of London in 1870. Two years later, he assigned to it the name Eucamerotus, though did not provide a species name. Eucamerotus was subsequen

Vectipelta (meaning "Isle of Wight shield") is an extinct genus of ankylosaurian dinosaur recovered from the Early Cretaceous Wessex Formation of England. The genus contains a single species, V. barretti, known from a partial skeleton including several osteoderms. It was historically known as the "Spearpoint ankylosaur" prior to its description.

Istiorachis (meaning "sail spine") is an extinct genus of iguanodontian ornithopod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian age) Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, England. The genus contains a single species, Istiorachis macarthurae, known from a partial postcranial skeleton including several vertebrae, incomplete ribs, and part of the pelvis. Its vertebral are notably elongated, giving the animal a 'sail-backed' appearance.

Brighstoneus (after Brighstone, a village on the Isle of Wight) is a genus of hadrosauriform dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, England. The genus contains a single species, Brighstoneus simmondsi, known from a partial skeleton.

Vectiraptor (meaning "Isle of Wight thief") is a genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the Barremian aged Wessex Formation of the United Kingdom. The type and only species is Vectiraptor greeni, known from associated dorsal vertebrae and a partial sacrum.

Vectidromeus (meaning "Isle of Wight runner") is an extinct genus of hypsilophodontid ornithopod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Wessex Formation of England. The genus contains a single species, V. insularis, known from a partial skeleton belonging to a juvenile individual.

Thecocoelurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur from the early Cretaceous period of England. Its type specimen was discovered in strata from the Wessex Formation on the Isle of Wight by the Reverend William Fox, and after his death, it, alongside the rest of his collection, became the property of the British Museum of Natural History. The specimen was named in 1888 by Harry Govier Seeley, who assigned it to the genus Thecospondylus . In 1901, it was reassigned by Baron Franz Nopcsa to Coelurus. In 1923, the specimen was removed from either genus by Friedrich von Huene, who assigned it to a genus

Early Cretaceous geological formation in England