This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: In a discovery that challenges our understanding of dinosaur distribution during the Late Jurassic period, paleontologists have identified the first evidence of the iconic Diplodocus outside North America. The remarkable find of this sauropod, detailed today by researchers from the Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, represents one of the most complete diplodocid skeletons ever discovered in Europe.
The fossil specimen was unearthed at the La Tejería site in El Castellar, Teruel, Spain. A team of paleontologists from Fundación Dinópolis excavated 14 exceptionally preserved caudal (tail) vertebrae and several chevron bones over time. Until now, all confirmed Diplodocus specimens had come exclusively from the Morrison Formation in the western United States.
Sergio Sánchez Fenollosa, a doctoral student in biodiversity and evolutionary biology at Fundación Dinópolis and lead author of the article, explains: "We are delighted with this discovery. It was an exciting and continuous process of seeing the pieces of the puzzle gradually fall into place. "From the early stages of the osteological study, we noticed strong similarities with several diplodocine sauropods.
As we looked more closely at the anatomy, we began to identify a combination of features characteristic of Diplodocus species. Then, as we carried out different evolutionary analyses, they kept pointing in the same direction. With each new result, the picture became clearer: We were looking at a Diplodocus." Sánchez Fenollosa adds, "And what is more, the outcome of the dig is some of the strongest paleontological evidence for episodes of dispersal and faunal exchange between the two continents across the proto-Atlantic Ocean during the Late Jurassic.
"Essentially, this discovery allows us to better understand Iberian Mesozoic ecosystems and the diversity of sauropod dinosaurs that inhabited the European Jurassic." The Spanish Diplodocus dates to approximately 150 million years ago, at the end of the Jurassic Period. Its presence in Europe provides compelling evidence that dinosaurs could migrate between North America and Europe during the Late Jurassic, likely crossing temporary land bridges that emerged as the proto-North Atlantic Ocean underwent regressive phases. Alberto Cobos, managing director of Fundación Dinópolis, points out, "The Diplodocus from El Castellar was approximately 25 meters (82 feet) long (comparable in size to its North American relatives), making it another of the giant sauropods of the Spanish Jurassic, alongside other sauropod dinosaurs from Teruel with characteristics very different from those of diplodocids, such as Turiasaurus and Losillasaurus, among others.
"The fossils of all these dinosaurs, including those of the new Diplodocus specimen, make Teruel a reference place for understanding this great diversity." The fossil's remarkable state of preservation allowed researchers to identify distinctive anatomical features characteristic of Diplodocus, including: Using both traditional anatomical comparisons and advanced phylogenetic analyses (including maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference methods), the research team confidently placed the specimen within the Diplodocus genus, specifically as a close relative of Diplodocus hallorum. The fossils are currently on display for future research and public education in the dinosaur hall of the Museo Aragonés de Paleontología at Dinópolis in Teruel—a city in eastern Spain that sits roughly between Madrid and Valencia. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly.
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