6.5" Ornithopod Dinosaur Vertebra - Isle of Wight, England

This is a rare, 6.5" tall vertebra of a Lower Cretaceous-aged Ornithopod dinosaur. It was collected from the Wealden Clays of the Wessex Formation on the Isle of Wight. The vertebra is warped from millions of years of geologic forces, however it is quite intact considering the circumstances. A portion of the right (anatomical) transverse process remained intact, however the opposite transverse process and the spinous process are missing. There is a repaired crack through the middle of vertebral arch as well as repaired cracks through each pedicle. The rock has been removed from the neural canal, exposing the hole through which the dinosaur's spinal cord would have been.

There are several ornithopods that have been discovered from this formation, so accurately identifying an isolated vertebra like this down to the genus is difficult.