Staffin Dinosaur Museum

24/10/2025

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐮𝐫 𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭

Research from the US suggests dinosaur populations in parts of North America were thriving shortly before the asteroid strike which caused their mass extinction about 66m years ago. The findings are interesting admist the ongoing scientific debate about whether dinosaur numbers were already in decline in their final years.

Read more in The Independent’s coverage below:

This finding offers a fresh perspective ver whether dinosaur numbers were already in decline

23/10/2025

𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤

The museum’s children’s corner celebrates wonderful young minds curious about palaeontology.

It’s never too late to start learning about palaeontology and, clearly, never too young.

20/10/2025

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐈𝐜𝐡𝐭𝐡𝐲𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬

24 years after its discovery, University of Manchester palaeontologist Dr Dean Lomax and his team have identified a new type of leptonectid ichthyosaur from Dorset. The fossil, found in 2001 by collector Chris Moore, includes an almost complete skeleton dating back around 193–184 million years. It is believed to be the world’s most complete prehistoric reptile from the Pliensbachian period. The discovery revealed several features not seen in other ichthyosaurs, providing fresh clues about how these marine reptiles lived and evolved. The team has named it Xiphodracon goldencapensis, meaning “sword dragon of Dorset”.

At Staffin Museum, you can see our own ichthyosaur find: a jaw bone imprint from the dolphin-sized animal.

Museum founder Dugie Ross was also involved in naming Dearcmhara shawcrossi, the first partially Gaelic-named fossil species. This ichthyosaur’s name reflects its origins: Dearc mhara means “sea lizard” in Gaelic, while shawcrossi honours fossil collector Brian Shawcross, who discovered the fossil at Bearreraig Bay in 1959.

For more on the Dorset ichthyosaur discovery, see the BBC coverage below:

Scientists at the University of Manchester have studied the ichthyosaur, which was found in 2001.

14/10/2025

𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝

Scientists have found one of the longest sets of dinosaur footprints ever discovered, at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire. The trackway stretches about 220 metres from one end to the other.

The footprints were made around 166 million years ago by huge, long-necked sauropods, likely Cetiosaurus, with smaller prints from Megalosaurus nearby. The site gives researchers a rare glimpse of how these dinosaurs actually moved across the landscape.

Tracks were first found at Dewars Farm in the 1990s and again last year, but this summer’s dig revealed a much longer and more continuous stretch of footprints than before.

Come and visit the museum to see our own Cetiosaurus bone, Megalosaurus footprints and lots more fossils from Scotland’s past.

Read more in Oxford University’s coverage below:

In a stunning find, researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham have uncovered a huge expanse of quarry floor filled with hundreds of different dinosaur footprints, creating multiple enormous trackways. Dating back to the Middle Jurassic Period (around 166 million years ago), the trac...

02/10/2025

𝐀 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐤𝐲𝐞

A fossil of a previously unknown reptile with snake-like fangs has been found in Skye. The fossil is one of the most ancient and best-preserved Jurassic lizards ever discovered. The species has been given a partially Gaelic name, Breugnathair elgolensis (the “false snake of Elgol”).

Read more in the BBC’s coverage below:

Experts say the lizard-like creature, which has been given the Gaelic name Breugnathair elgolensis, had lived about 167 million years ago.

26/08/2025

Eilean nan Dìneasair air BBC Alba an-dràsta

🦖🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦕🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦕

Island of the Dinosaurs on BBC Alba just now

19/08/2025

Key Found in Museum Car Park

A key on a yellow fob has been found in the car park. If you think it might be yours, please get in touch with us at the museum.🔑

08/08/2025

𝟰𝟵 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗮𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺

This summer, the museum quietly marked its 49th anniversary - all thanks to the curiosity of a boy. To some he’s Dugie, to others Dùghaill, and to us he's Dad. He began collecting at the age of 15 and opened his first museum at 19. Since then, he has become a legend in the Scottish palaeontology world, though he’d never say so himself. Clearly, his children balance out his modesty.

If you have any fond memories of Dugie or the museum, we’d love for you to share them so we can all enjoy looking back at moments from over the years.

30/07/2025

📘 Back in Stock: Jurassic Skye
We’re very happy to have Jurassic Skye available for sale at the museum again!

Visitors might spot a familiar face on the cover…

📚 £15 - available in the museum or by post (UK only).
📮 To arrange postage (£3.50), just email Caroline at: [email protected]