Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

New Dinosaur Named for Girl, 5, Who Discovered It

Daisy Morris found Vectidraco daisymorrisae fossil

By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 20, 2013 10:39 AM CDT

(Newser) – Daisy Morris was just a 5-year-old when she found a fossil while walking with her family on a UK beach. That fossil ended up being from a newly discovered dinosaur species, and scientists have decided to name it after Daisy, who's now 9. The little girl has so many fossils and animal remains in her collection that an expert says her room "resembl[es] a natural history museum," the Daily Mail reports. She immediately recognized the remains as a fossil, and a dinosaur expert the family took it to knew right away he was looking at "something very special," he says.

The family donated the fossil to a natural history museum, and scientists studied it for five years. They eventually concluded the Vectidraco daisymorrisae was a flying pterosaur about the size of a crow. In addition to the naming honor, Daisy also had a book written about her called Daisy and the Wight Dragon (the fossil was found on the Isle of Wight). Her friends think the whole thing is "cool," says Daisy, who is fascinated by studying animals and dinosaurs. She started hunting for fossils at age three, the BBC adds.

Speculative reconstruction of Vectidraco daisymorrisae.
Speculative reconstruction of Vectidraco daisymorrisae.   (Wikimedia Commons)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
2%
6%
1%
88%
1%
2%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 17 comments
People_Suck
Mar 22, 2013 12:33 PM CDT
The book should have been "Daisy and the Wight Dwagon". Co-authored by Elmer Fudd.
iq145
Mar 21, 2013 10:25 PM CDT
She sounds like me when i was a kid. She could be the next Franz Nopcsa
dadxeight
Mar 21, 2013 11:28 AM CDT
How refreshingly (and unusually) honest of them to show just how little the fossil was and what liberties the experts take in showing us what the entire animal originally looked like.
 

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   POPSUGAR Tech   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment   |   NewsOne