Red Squirrel Ancestor Found

A startling discovery on an Island beach has led palaeontologists to re-think some of their long held views on dinosaurs.

The commonly held consensus is that dinosaurs were like giant lizards, however this new discovery paints a picture that shows some were more like giant squirrels than lizards.

Speaking exclusively to the Candy Press, top palaeontologist Eddie Lizzard said that the “exquisitely preserved” 150-million-year-old fossil was unearthed from the limestone in St Helens Duver.

The fossil has been dubbed ‘Sciurumimus Vectisnuttius’ — a nod to Scirius, the scientific name for tree squirrels.

Lizzard said that Sciurumimus Vectisnuttius fossil was likely to be that of a large male nut-eating dinosaur, not previously seen anywhere else on the planet.  It had an enlarged skull, short limbs, and a big, long bushy tail.

It’s thought that the Island’s very own red squirrels, are in fact direct descendants of Vectisnuttius.