The diplodocus also lived in Europe: they find in Teruel the first specimen

BarcelonaThe remains of the first Diplodocus in Europe have been found in Teruel. They were discovered by a team from the Teruel-Dinópolis Paleontological Joint Foundation at the La Tejería site, according to research published this Tuesday in the journal Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. The specimen, which dates back about 150 million years, is the first intercontinental evidence of the species, as these are the first remains of this prehistoric giant found outside of North America. In total, the archaeologists have found fourteen exceptionally well-preserved tail vertebrae and several tail bones.

Osteological and phylogenetic analyses of the remains place the specimen "consistently" within the genus Diplodocus, as reported by the Teruel-Dinópolis Paleontological Joint Foundation. Another conclusion derived from the research is that this discovery is one of the "most solid" pieces of paleontological evidence for "episodes of dispersal and exchange" of fauna between Europe and America across the proto-Atlantic Ocean during the Late Jurassic.

Sauropods, popularly known for having long necksconstitute one of the most characteristic groups of dinosaurs. In general, they were herbivorous, quadrupedal animals, with long tails and necks, and a head relatively small in relation to the total length of the body. Within this group, diplodocids are mainly distinguished by their extremely long tails.

One of the most complete specimens

Alberto Cobos, managing director of the Dinópolis Foundation and co-author of the study, highlights that "the diplodocus from El Castellar was approximately 25 meters long, which makes it another of the great giant sauropods of the Jurassic in Spain".

One of the paleontologists who conducted the study, Sergio Sánchez Fenollosa, explained that the specimen is among the most complete diplodocids discovered in Europe to date. This discovery also leads to expanding the known diversity of large sauropods from the Jurassic in Teruel. The remains of the diplodocus that have been located are on display in the dinosaur hall of the Aragon Museum of Paleontology in Dinópolis.