First Diplodocus fossils found in Europe reveal ancient dinosaur migration
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Paleontologists in Spain discovered the first Diplodocus fossils ever found outside of the United States in the municipality of El Castellar, Teruel.
The remains consist of 14 tail vertebrae and several chevron bones, and researchers confirmed they belonged to a Diplodocus and a close relative of Diplodocus hallorum through anatomical comparisons and phylogenetic analyses. This discovery suggests that during the Late Jurassic period, approximately 150 million years ago, dinosaurs could move between North America and Europe.
Scientists believe they likely used temporary land bridges that formed in the early North Atlantic Ocean as the supercontinent Pangea began to break apart. The newly discovered Diplodocus was around 25 meters (82 feet) long, similar in size to those found in North America. Its remains are now exhibited at the Aragones Museum of Paleontology, part of the Dinópolis theme park and museum in Teruel, a city located about 200 miles east of Madrid.
The find provides new insight into the Mesozoic ecosystems of the Iberian Peninsula and the variety of sauropod dinosaurs that lived in Europe during the Jurassic period.
