Welsh dinosaur named ‘dragon thief’

The Welsh dinosaur discovered in 2014 has been named
The Welsh dinosaur discovered in 2014 has been named "dragon thief." | File photo
The Welsh dinosaur found on a beach near Penarth in the Vale of Glamorgan in 2014 has received a name. It will be called the Dracoraptor hanigani, which means "dragon thief."

The official name and description of the dinosaur were published this week.

The prefix Draco means dragon, which is the symbol of Wales. The species name, hanigani, was given to the dinosaur in honor of Nick and Rob Hanigan, who discovered the fossils on the beach. They later donated them to the Amgueddfa Cymru-National Museum of Wales.

The Hanigans found the fossil while they were hunting on the Lavernock beach in the Vale of Glamorgan in the spring of 2014. After a storm, there was a cliff fall that revealed loose blocks containing the skeleton of the small dinosaur. Included in these blocks were the skull, claws and serrated teeth.

The Dracoraptor hanigani is on display at the National Museum Cardiff and can be seen in the main hall of the museum. The Dracoraptor’s foot is also on display for the first time. It was discovered by Sam Davies, a palaeontology student from the University of Portsmouth.