A former PhD student analyzing 125-million-year-old fossils has made waves with the discovery of a new species of dinosaur that had a sail on its back.

The findings, published in the journal Papers in Palaeontology on Friday, relate to fossils originally excavated in the 1970s on the Isle of Wight, a small island off England’s south coast.

 dinosaur species

There are over 700 named species of dinosaurs, and more are being discovered regularly. Here’s a breakdown of some key species across different types of dinosaurs

🦖 Theropods (Mostly Carnivorous, Bipedal)

Carnotaurus – Horned predator with tiny arms and fast-running build.

Tyrannosaurus rex – One of the most famous predators, lived in North America.

Velociraptor – Smaller, feathered predator, known for its speed and intelligence.

Allosaurus – Preceded T. rex, large carnivore from the Jurassic period.

Spinosaurus – Possibly the largest carnivorous dinosaur, semi-aquatic.

🦕 Sauropods (Long-necked Herbivores)

Brachiosaurus – Very tall, giraffe-like posture, long neck.

Apatosaurus (formerly Brontosaurus) – Huge body, long tail and neck.

Diplodocus – Extremely long tail and neck, possibly used tail like a whip.

Argentinosaurus – Possibly the heaviest land animal ever, from South America.

Dreadnoughtus – One of the most massive titanosaurs.

particularly large

The new species is not particularly large by dinosaur standards and is similar in size to the American bison, according to the .

This new discovery is just the latest on the island, with 10 new dinosaur species found on the Isle of Wight over the past six years, according to Lockwood.