Researchers have discovered the skeleton of a sauropod dinosaur in Portugal. This could be the largest dinosaur remains ever found in Europe.
The excavation work began in the city garden of Pombal in 2017 when the landowner discovered several fossilized bone fragments and contacted researchers at the University of Lisbon.
The fossilized skeleton of the sauropod dinosaur being excavated. (Photo: University of Lisbon).
Earlier this month, Portuguese and Spanish paleontologists excavated and discovered vertebrae and ribs of a Brachiosaurid sauropod, the Guardian reported on August 27.
Sauropods were the largest dinosaurs and the largest land animals to ever exist. They were herbivores, characterized by their long necks and four-legged stance.
“Finding a complete rib cage of a dinosaur like this is quite rare,” said Elisabete Malafaia, a researcher at the University of Lisbon.
The size of the newly discovered bones indicates that this dinosaur stood 12 meters tall and was 25 meters long.
Due to the location of the skeleton discovery, researchers hope that the next excavation will uncover more parts of this same dinosaur.
The skeleton was found in sedimentary rock from the Late Jurassic period, indicating it dates back approximately 150 million years.
“This discovery confirms that the Pombal area has many significant fossil sites related to vertebrates from the late Jurassic. Findings over the past decades have provided rich knowledge about the terrestrial species that lived on the Iberian Peninsula around 145 million years ago,” researcher Malafaia stated.
