An Essex museum will become the world’s first to display an extraordinarily well-preserved dinosaur skeleton that scientists believe could represent an entirely new species.
The specimen, nicknamed Juliasaurus, will be unveiled at Hollytrees Museum in Colchester from April 3.
Visitors to the Hollytrees Museum in Colchester have an unusual opportunity to examine a largely complete Jurassic predator while researchers undertake detailed analysis to establish precisely what the creature is.
It will be the first time a dinosaur of this scale has been displayed in the area.
The ancient carnivore roamed the planet approximately 154 million years ago, weighing around 600kg and stretching to roughly 6.2 metres in length.
Analysis of its teeth and skull indicates the predator employed swift, slashing attacks to kill prey, a technique distinct from the crushing bite favoured by Tyrannosaurus Rex, which appeared some 80 to 90 million years later.
Excavated from Wyoming’s Morrison Formation in 2020, the fossil retains about three-quarters of its original skeleton.
This remarkable level of preservation is expected to yield valuable insights into the animal’s behaviour, locomotion and hunting methods.
Hollytrees Museum in Colchester will become the first in the world to exhibit a complete skeleton that could be a new species of dinosaur
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Dr Simon Jackson, a palaeontologist working on the project, described the find as scientifically exceptional.
“Most dinosaur remains are fragmentary or distorted,” he said.
“When you find something like this, you can begin to place it much more confidently in its evolutionary context and even reconstruct how it fed or moved using digital models.”
Initial examination suggests the creature is closely related to Allosaurus, the apex predator of its era.
The ancient creature had features similar to the fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex
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However, certain anatomical characteristics, particularly in the skull, pelvis and air-sac structures within the vertebrae, suggest it may not belong to any recognised species.
“We’re at an early stage, and there’s a long way to go,” Dr Jackson said.
“But it is certainly possible this represents something new.”
The fossil was acquired by a private collector in 2024 through David Aaron, the London gallery, which has arranged a long-term loan to the museum.
Specimens of this calibre can command prices in the millions of pounds, though the exact sum paid has not been revealed.
Private ownership has prompted unease among some palaeontologists about future access to the specimen and the ability to verify research findings.
Dr Jackson acknowledged these concerns, explaining that the team would refrain from publishing formal conclusions while the fossil remains privately owned.
“Scientific work depends on others being able to verify results,” he said, adding: “We’re very aware of the ethics and are proceeding carefully.”