Diplodocus 150 million years ago roamed Europe - dinosaur remains first found outside North America
Spanish paleontologists have said they have found the first evidence that the diplodocus once roamed Europe, according to a study published in The Guardian.
Spanish paleontologists said they have found the first evidence that the diplodocus once roamed Europe, according to a study published Tuesday, September 15, in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
According to Reuters, researchers from the Dinopolis Foundation in Teruela in eastern Spain have recovered fossils consisting of 14 tail vertebrae and several chevron bones of a single specimen from sediments that are about 150 million years old.
“Our anatomical study and evolutionary analysis have identified the specimen from El Castellar as belonging to the genus Diplodocus. This is one of the most complete skeletons of diplodocides found to date in Europe, and the first evidence of this genus outside North America, said lead author Sergio Sanchez Fenollos.
Managing Director of the Foundation “Dinopolis” and co-author of the study Alberto Kobos said that the length of the found specimen was probably about 25 meters. It joined a growing list of giant Jurassic sauropods discovered in the Teruel area.
First discovered from fossils found in Wyoming in 1877, the herbivorous diplodocus, known for its long neck, whip-shaped tail and four sturdy legs, is one of the most recognizable dinosaurs in the world.
