A fossil that was first discovered over 50 years ago has finally been identified as a dinosaur that lived around 166 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period.

A fossilized dinosaur skeleton, first spotted in 1973 on the Isle of Skye, has finally been excavated and studied, revealing Scotland’s most complete Middle Jurassic dinosaur find. The pony-sized herbivore,

Scotland's earliest and most complete dinosaur fossil has been formally identified and described, marking a milestone in paleontological research. The fossil, known as the Elgol dinosaur, has been revealed to be a Middle Jurassic-era ornithopod dinosaur.

A Jurassic dinosaur fossil has been extracted from the base of a cliff on the Isle of Skye where it was found more than 50 years ago. The fossil known as the Elgol dinosaur was discovered in 1973 near Elgol, in the south of the island, and is Scotland’s earliest recorded dinosaur.

Analysis of the bone structure indicates the Elgol dinosaur, which would have been roughly the size of a pony, was at least eight years old. It means the earliest recorded dinosaur find in Scotland has now been confirmed and fully described.