Paleontologists discovered fossilized bones of a dinosaur in the garden of a house in Portugal in early August. It could be the largest sauropod ever discovered in Europe.
“It is one of the largest known examples in Europe, and even globally,” paleontologist Elisabet Malafaya, of the University of Lisbon, said on Monday. Among all the bones collected, dating back to the Jurassic period about 150 million years ago, researchers particularly found the remains of a rib about 3 meters long.
New excavations in the coming months
The first discovery of these fossils dates back to 2017. In early August, Portuguese and Spanish researchers excavated the remains of the dinosaur to conduct in-depth studies on these fossils. It is possible to conduct new excavations in the coming months at the site of its discovery as well as in the surrounding area.
Sauropods are four-legged herbivorous dinosaurs with a long neck and long tail. It can reach 12 meters in height and 25 meters in length. They are among the largest animals that have ever lived on Earth. The fossils discovered in Portugal must belong to an animal from the brachiosaur family that lived during the Upper Jurassic period.
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