Museum drawer fossil named as new tiger-sized cousin of T. rex
A fossil dug up in England in 1924 and kept in museum storage for almost 100 years has been identified as a new species of dinosaur.
The animal has been named Invictibellatrix amberina and described as a long-clawed predator about the size of a large tiger, CBS News reported on 14 October 2026. Researchers describe it as a cousin of T. rex, the large meat-eating dinosaur. The fossil sat overlooked for almost a century before scientists realised it was new, People reported.
The original fossil was found on the Isle. Scientists re-examined it and concluded it belonged to a species not previously described, the Natural History Museum in London said on 13 October 2026, Natural History Museum.
It waited a century. That wait ended with a name, a description and a new branch on the predatory dinosaur family tree.
The find follows a different recent addition at the same museum. In June 2025, the museum unveiled Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, Natural History Museum. It is a small, speedy, two-legged plant-eater that stands 64 centimetres tall. It was described as the most complete named specimen of its kind and placed on permanent display.
Enigmacursor was the first new dinosaur species added to the museum's display in London since 2014, according to the BBC. The museum's dinosaur collection includes 157 taxa, the named groups, and 69 type specimens, the specimens that species names are formally tied to.
What makes this stand out is the contrast. One new dinosaur is dinky and built for speed. The other is a tiger-sized hunter with long claws. Both were hiding in plain sight until researchers looked again.
