Probably the largest in Europe

giant relic sauropod dinosaur – What’s called “long neck– Found in the yard of a house under construction in Pombal, a Portuguese city of 55 thousand inhabitants in the province of Beira Litorale. It is believed that this may be the largest dinosaur ever found Europe, with an estimated length of about 25 meters and a height of 12 meters (it can be compared with the equestrian memorial to Vittorio Emanuele II del Vittoriano, in Piazza Venezia in Rome). This will only be certain when the excavation is complete, as scientists believe they have only uncovered a portion of the colossal fossil.

The first parts of Prehistoric reptiles It appeared in 2017, during construction work on land owned by a man, he immediately called scientists to study and return the finds. Five years after the start of the search, a large portion of the site has appeared axial skeleton dinosaur, vertebrae And the ribs For an animal that most likely belongs to the God family sauropods brachiosaurid. These herbivorous reptiles lived in the late Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous periods (between 160 and 100 million years ago, as indicated by paleontologists at press release) were among the largest animals that ever lived on Earth; They had a very long neck – to reach the vegetation of the tallest plants – and front legs that were longer than the back. The first dinosaur to appear in Jurassic Parkif we exclude the transient appearance of a file velociraptor (Or better than Deinonicus) From the introductory scene, it was just a file brachiosaurus. The fossil found in Pombal is particularly valuable for its state of preservation and its location.

“It is not usual to find all the ribs of an animal like this, let alone in this position, where they maintain their original anatomical position. Dr. Elisabeth Malavia, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Lisbon (Ciências Ulisboa) said: on the site with several colleagues. “Research in the Fossil Zone of Monte Agudo confirms that the Pombal region possesses an important fossil record of vertebrates from the late Jurassic period, which in recent decades has allowed the discovery of abundant materials of great importance for knowledge of continental fauna. that inhabited the Iberian Peninsula about 145 million years ago,” the scientist added. Researchers believe that other parts of the brachiosaurus are present in the area, so excavations will continue in the future.

The most emblematic sauropod is found in Portugal, the sauropods Lusotitan atalaiensiscomparable to the most famous Brachiosaurus altithorax And the Giraffatitan Brancay. Further investigations will allow paleontologists to determine whether the dinosaur discovered in Pombal belonged to a new species or to a known species. His remains were protected with castings from plaster And after transportation to the laboratory, all sediment will be removed. Only then will scientists begin to study the animal in depth, until the fossil skeleton is displayed in the museum.