Vectipelta facts for kids

Vectipelta (meaning "Isle of Wight shield") is an extinct type of dinosaur called an ankylosaur. It lived a long time ago during the Early Cretaceous period in what is now England. This dinosaur is known from a single species, V. barretti, which means it's the only kind of Vectipelta we know about so far. Scientists found parts of its skeleton, including some of its special bony armor plates called osteoderms. Before it got its official name, people sometimes called it the "Spearpoint ankylosaur."

Discovery and Naming

How Vectipelta Was Found

The main fossil pieces of Vectipelta were found in November 1993 and March 1994. They were discovered in rock layers of the Wessex Formation near Chilton Chine on the Isle of Wight, England. Gavin Leng found nine vertebrae (backbones) in 1993. Lin Spearpoint found more parts in 1994.

The fossils included many bones from its neck, back, hips, and tail. There were also parts of its shoulder and hip areas, and pieces of its front and back legs. Most excitingly, several osteoderms (bony plates that formed armor) were found. At first, these remains were thought to belong to another dinosaur called Polacanthus.

Naming the Dinosaur

A scientist named Thomas J. Raven first studied these fossils for his PhD. He realized they belonged to a new, unknown dinosaur. Later, in May 2023, another study mentioned this dinosaur using a temporary name, "Polywotsit."

Then, in June 2023, a group of scientists led by Pond et al. officially described Vectipelta barretti as a brand new genus and species. The name "Vectipelta" comes from "Vectis," which was the Roman name for the Isle of Wight. The second part of the name, "barretti", honors a famous dinosaur scientist named Paul Barrett. He works at the Natural History Museum in London.

Vectipelta is the first ankylosaur found on the Isle of Wight in 142 years! This discovery suggests that many other ankylosaur fossils found there, which were thought to be Polacanthus or Hylaeosaurus, might actually be different kinds of dinosaurs.

Classification

Vectipelta in the Dinosaur Family Tree

Scientists use phylogenetic analyses to figure out how different dinosaurs are related. This is like creating a family tree for dinosaurs. Pond et al. (2023) found that Vectipelta is a "sister taxon" to a group made up of Dongyangopelta and Zhejiangosaurus. This means Vectipelta is their closest relative in the family tree.

This larger group, including Vectipelta, is then closely related to the Ankylosauridae family. Vectipelta is not very closely related to Polacanthus or Hylaeosaurus, even though those dinosaurs were also found in the same general area (the Wealden Group rocks).

The diagram below is a cladogram, which shows the family relationships of these dinosaurs. Dinosaurs from the Wealden Group are highlighted.

Ecology

Vectipelta's Ancient Home

The Wessex Formation is a very old rock layer that formed over millions of years. This means that not all the animals found in this formation lived at exactly the same time. Vectipelta likely lived millions of years before Polacanthus, even though their fossils were found in the same general area.