Pronunciation: COMP-tuh-NAH-tuss
Meaning: The Compton thunderer
Author/s: Lockwood et al. (2024)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Isle of Wight, England
Discovery Chart Position: #1132
Comptonatus chasei
(Chase's Compton Thunderer)Etymology
Comptonatus is derived from "Compton" (for Compton Bay where it was discovered) and the Latin "tonatus" (thundered), referring to its large size. The species epithet, chasei, honours the late Mr Nick Chase, winner of the Palaeontological Association’s Mary Anning Award in 2018, who made the initial discovery and, through his lifetime, contributed enormously to the collections at Dinosaur Isle Museum, Isle of Wight, and the Natural History Museum, London. ZooBank registry: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2F3125A5-BDEF-4835-8829-92104752A86F.
Discovery
The remains of Comptonatus were discovered in the Wessex Formation on National Trust land at Compton Bay on the Isle of Wight, England, by Nick Chase in 2013, close (c. 50 m) to where a skeleton of Valdosaurus canaliculatus (IWCMS 2013.175) was excavated the previous year.
The holotype (IWCMS 2014.80) is an almost complete skeleton.
Preparators
Gary Blackwell.
