You may have noticed the latest addition to the UNE Natural History Museum. The new guy doesn’t have a formal scientific name yet, but it has been referred to in the media as “Lightning Claw”.

Described as the “biggest, baddest meat-eater yet found Down Under” it belongs to a relatively rare group of predatory dinosaurs known as megaraptorid – a group best known from South America. The group is distinguished by features such as a slender skull and giant claws. Lacking the powerful jaws of other better known predators such as T-Rex it is believed that the arms would have been incredibly muscular and that the claws probably acted as grappling hooks to ensnare its prey.

Examining the fossil bones found in Lightning Ridge, UNE’s Dr Phil Bell realised he was on to something unique.

“The most informative piece that we found was a complete metatarsal; a bone from the flat of the foot. In addition, we had part of the ulna and one of the massive claws on the hand. A number of features marked it as different.”

Producing the museum skeleton was an exercise in patience and perseverance. Pushing the boundaries of 3D printing technology to the limit, the skeleton was printed on five custom-made 3D-printers running 24/7 for five weeks. The pieces then underwent extensive post-production work, including extensive sanding, to ensure accurate representation. As there was not a lot of fossil to work from, bones from some of the South American species as well as bones from a closely-related species, Australovenator, from Queensland was used to fill in the missing pieces for the new mount.

The Natural History Museum will be opened to the public on 19 March as part of the Vice-Chancellor’s Community Open Days series of events.