Paleontologists have identified the first known evidence of Diplodocus outside North America, a discovery that changes scientists' understanding of where the iconic dinosaur lived during the Late Jurassic. The sauropod fossils were described by researchers from the Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis in the peer-reviewed Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. The specimen is also among the most complete diplodocid skeletons ever uncovered in Europe.
The fossils were discovered at the La Tejería site in El Castellar, Teruel, Spain. During excavations, a team of paleontologists from the Fundación Dinópolis recovered 14 exceptionally well-preserved caudal (tail) vertebrae along with several chevron bones. Before this discovery, every confirmed Diplodocus specimen had been found in the Morrison Formation of the western United States.
Sergio Sánchez Fenollosa, PhD student in biodiversity and evolutionary biology at Fundación Dinópolis and lead author of the study, 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." Sergio 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." A Jurassic Connection Between Continents The Spanish Diplodocus lived roughly 150 million years ago, near the end of the Jurassic Period. Its presence in Europe provides strong evidence that dinosaurs were able to move between North America and Europe during this time. Researchers believe these animals may have crossed temporary land bridges that appeared when sea levels fell during regressive phases of the proto-North Atlantic Ocean.
The finding therefore offers more than a new location for Diplodocus. It also provides evidence of periods when dinosaur populations and other animals could move between the two continents. Co-author Dr Alberto Cobos, managing director of Fundación Dinópolis, points out: "The Diplodocus from El Castellar was approximately 25 meters 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.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
