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
New Dinosaur Named for Girl, 5, Who Discovered It
Speculative reconstruction of Vectidraco daisymorrisae.   (Wikimedia Commons)

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. (More Vectidraco daisymorrisae stories.)

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