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First Fossilised Dinosaur Brain Found in England

Published: 16th Nov 2016

A fossil discovered 12 years ago on the beach at Bexhill-on-sea, in Sussex, has been identified as the first fossilized dinosaur brain. It is thought to have originated form a large plant eating dinosaur such as an Iguanodon that lived 133 million years ago. It is very rare for soft tissue to become fossilised. However in this case scientists believe the dead dinosaur's head was buried in mud at the bottom of a swamp, allowing its brain to be "pickled" and preserved. This allowed the soft tissues to gradually became mineralised. There are similarities between this dinosaur brain and the brains of birds and crocodiles today. A study of this special dinosaur brain has also raised the possibility that dinosaurs had larger brains than is generally thought.