Never-seen-before remains of possibly the largest dinosaur in Europe have been discovered

The remains of what may be the largest dinosaur ever found in Europe have been discovered in a garden in Portugal. Excavation work began in the garden in the town of Pombal in 2017 when the owner of the property noticed fossilised bone fragments and contacted researchers from the University of Lisbon.

Europe's largest dinosaur

Earlier this month, Spanish and Portuguese palaeontologists working at the site began digging up the vertebrae and ribs of what they believe to be a brachiosaurid sauropod. Sauropods were the largest of all dinosaurs and the largest land animals to ever live. As reported by Phys.org, Elisabete Malafaia—a post-doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Science at the University of Lisbon—said:

It is not usual to find all the ribs of an animal like this, let alone in this position, preserving their original anatomical position

The sauropod group, which includes brontosaurus and diplodocus, were herbivores, had long necks and walked on four legs. According to The Guardian, the size of the bones found in the garden suggests that the dinosaur was 12 metres high and 25 metres long.

Because of the natural position in which the skeleton was found, researchers hope that further excavations will uncover more parts of the same dinosaur. Previously, another dinosaur which was thought to be the biggest in Europe was discovered in Britain, however, this recent discovery in Portugal could take the title.

Another great discovery

On 24 August, another great discovery was made in a Texas park. For several months, many countries have been affected by a dramatic drought. A lack of water has led to a drastic drop in the level of lakes and rivers throughout the US.

In a Texas park, this lack of water has revealed dinosaur footprints that were previously hidden in a dried-up river. Traces that are probably about 113 million years old. Stephanie Salinas Garcia, head of the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, said:

Due to excessive drought conditions this summer, the river has dried up completely in most places, revealing new tracks in the park

This article was translated from Gentside FR.

Read more:

⋙ Skeletal remains of the oldest 'European' in history discovered by researchers

⋙ Never-seen-before skeleton of a giant dinosaur discovered in Argentina

⋙ ‘Exceptionally rare’ dinosaur teeth discovered in Australia

⋙ Europe’s largest dinosaur may have been found in Britain