For most people, retirement means slowing down. For Dr Jeremy Lockwood, from the University of Portsmouth, it meant unearthing the secrets of creatures that last walked the earth 125 million years ago. The 68-year-old retired GP has discovered not one, but three new species of dinosaur on the Isle of Wight, rewriting part of Britain's prehistoric story in the process.
Jeremy's fascination with fossils began in childhood. Growing up in the West Midlands, he spent hours scouring quarries and streams for fossil shells and trilobites - ancient marine creatures that predate the dinosaurs by hundreds of millions of years. "We lived in an area rich in prehistoric treasure," Jeremy says. "As a small boy, the prize was finding trilobite fossils. That sense of wonder never really left me."
Decades later, family holidays on the Isle of Wight - often called "Dinosaur Island" for its rich fossils - would rekindle that childhood passion. "About 30 years ago, we started coming down here with the children," Jeremy explains. "We'd spend hours walking the beaches where the dinosaur beds are, and we started finding bones. That brought it all back."
At first, he took his finds to the local museum. "I was surprised, with my medical background, that the bones we were finding all belonged to the same species. The variation from a human point of view appeared too great."
It was an observation that would change his life. On his 57th birthday, Lockwood decided to leave general practice and dedicate himself to studying dinosaurs full-time. "I wanted to look properly at the variation in these bones. And the best way to do that was to enrol in a PhD."
He joined the University of Portsmouth under the supervision of Professor Dave Martill, a leading palaeontologist. The city sits right across the water from the Isle of Wight, so students have unrivalled access to study the stories of the prehistoric past.
The nasal bone had a large hump on it. That bone should have been absolutely straight. It was a eureka moment and I knew I had something different.
Dr Jeremy Lockwood, University of Portsmouth
Dr Jeremy Lockwood holding replica head of Brighstoneus simmondsi.
Jeremy began an exhaustive analysis of thousands of iguanodontian dinosaur bones, working through specimens at both the Natural History Museum in London and the Dinosaur Isle Museum on the Isle of Wight. Each bone was measured, photographed, and catalogued with clinical precision.
At first, his doctoral research was focused on understanding variation within Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis, a herbivorous dinosaur closely related to Iguanodon. But one day, while piecing together a skull thought to belong to Mantellisaurus, Lockwood noticed something extraordinary. "The nasal bone had a large hump on it," he recalls. "That bone should have been absolutely straight. It was a eureka moment and I knew I had something different."
His meticulous analysis confirmed that the specimen represented an entirely new species, which he named Brighstoneus simmondsi. The name honours the nearby village of Brighstone, once home to the Reverend William Fox, a famed Victorian fossil collector and Keith Simmonds, an amateur collector who helped excavate the find.
"It was a dream come true. One of the most exciting moments was registering the new species on ZooBank. To go from owning a Moroccan dinosaur bone as a child to naming a new species in England - it's wonderful."
Lockwood's second discovery came from another Isle of Wight treasure trove: the cliffs at Compton Bay. The specimen, around 125 million years old, had been found in 2013 by local fossil hunter Nick Chase, who sadly died of cancer before the work was complete. Lockwood helped excavate the skeleton and later identified 149 bones belonging to an entirely new genus and species, Comptonatus chasei, named in tribute to Chase and the site of its discovery.
"Initially, everyone thought it was another Mantellisaurus," explains Jeremy. "But when I went through the bones, the features just didn't add up. There were about 50 differences. That's when I realised, we were looking at a completely new animal."
As a doctor, you learn that human bones look remarkably similar. But in dinosaurs, I kept finding bones that were supposedly from the same species yet looked completely different. It was difficult to make sense of it all.
Dr Jeremy Lockwood , University of Portsmouth
Artist impression of Istiorachis macarthurae
Lockwood's third discovery, Istiorachis macarthurae , emerged from the dusty shelves of the Dinosaur Isle Museum itself. While reviewing bones long assumed to belong to Mantellisaurus, he noticed an unusual feature: a series of elongated neural spines along the back and tail. "No one had really looked closely at these bones before. But these spines were far longer than normal, it was very striking."
Further analysis revealed that the creature likely possessed a pronounced sail-like structure along its back, setting it apart from any other species found on the island. Its name Istiorachis - means "sail spine" and reflects that it probably had a sail along its back - while "macarthurae" honours Dame Ellen MacArthur, the Isle of Wight-born sailor who once held the world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe.
Jeremy's approach to palaeontology reflects his background in medicine, precise, evidence-based, and deeply curious about anatomy. "As a doctor, you learn that human bones look remarkably similar. But in dinosaurs, I kept finding bones that were supposedly from the same species yet looked completely different. It was difficult to make sense of it all."
His discoveries show how much remains to be learned from Britain's fossil record, even from specimens that have sat in museum drawers for decades. "There's so much material that hasn't been fully examined," says Jeremy. "Sometimes, the most remarkable discoveries are hiding in plain sight."
Today, Jeremy continues to work on new research and hopes to fundraise for a 3D scanner to help create a life-size model of Comptonatus chasei. He's also keen to inspire others to explore the Isle of Wight's unique geology, the most prolific dinosaur site in Europe. "Most children grow out of dinosaurs by the age of eight or nine. But my fascination has only grown stronger with age. To spend my later years helping to reveal new species and playing a part in piecing together an ancient and diverse ecosystem is a most extraordinary feeling."
Bones from all three dinosaurs can be seen at the Dinosaur Isle Museum at Sandown, Isle of Wight.
The University of Portsmouth's BSc (Hons) Palaeontology degree offers a uniquely hands-on learning experience. Students benefit from frequent field trips to world-famous fossil sites like the Isle of Wight and the Jurassic Coast, gaining real-world experience that complements classroom learning.
Accredited by The Geological Society of London, the course combines cutting-edge facilities, expert teaching, and a flexible "Connected Degree" structure that allows for paid placements or self-employment years, preparing graduates for careers in science, consultancy, or museum work.
