a new Spanish dinosaur in the Europa League

2023-05-18 17:31:35

Protathylitis cinctorrensis, the “Cinctorres champion”, is a new species of dinosaur discovered in the Mediterranean town of Cinctorres (Castellón, Spain). Champion owes its name to the unforgettable day that Villarreal C.F. (Castellón team in the first division) won the UEFA Europa League in 2021. But, in addition, Campeón plays in the champions league of the great dinosaurs that occupied the Iberian Peninsula between 127 and 126 million years ago.

It belongs to the family of spinosaurus, carnivorous dinosaurs that are among the largest predators. Spinosaurus walked on its two hind legs, had strong claws to catch its prey, and its conical teeth were set in an elongated crocodile-like snout. There is one more detail that makes it worthy of its name: theirs dominated Europe in the time of the dinosaurs.

Champion was an adult, weighing two tons and between 10 and 11 meters long, more or less like a squash court, like two vans one after the other. Regarding their way of life, the spinosaurids of Cinctorres would inhabit areas close to coastal zones, where they could hunt their prey.

Champion was 11 meters tall and weighed two tons.
Plaster Group, CC BY

Champion and UEFA Europa League

Based on the fossils found, the almost complete right jawbone, one tooth and five tail vertebrae, a team of geologists from the Jaume I Universitythe University of Valencia and the Plaster Group of Vila-real we have identified that we are dealing with a new species and a new genus of spinosaurid dinosaur. The results have been published in Scientific Reports.

The genus name, Protathlon, means “champion” in Greek. and we use cinctorrensis in the name of the species in reference to the locality in which the specimen was discovered, Cinctorres.

The identification suggests that the Iberian Peninsula may have been an area of ​​wide diversity for medium to large-bodied spinosaurid dinosaurs, and sheds light on the origin and evolution of this group.

We believe that spinosaurids appeared during the Early Cretaceous in Laurasia –a large tract of land in the northern hemisphere–, with two subgroups of species occupying Western Europe. Spinosaurids may have later migrated to Africa and Asia, where they diversified.

Champion’s Domains

The Campeón fossils were found in the Arcillas de Morella Formation, a geological formation found in the teacher, east of the Iberian Peninsula. It is one of those paradise places for geologists.

In this basin, between 156 and 102 million years ago, sediments accumulated that exceeded 4 kilometers in thickness. When these sediments come from continental or transitional zones, it is very likely to find dinosaur fossils in them.

Thus, in what is today the ANA deposit of Cinctorres After eight campaigns, almost a thousand fossils have been recovered, not only of vertebrates but also of invertebrates and flora.

Paleontologists working at the ANA site (Cinctorres, Spain) in 2011 in the seventh excavation campaign.
Plaster Group, CC BY

Regarding the fauna, although dinosaurs are the most abundant, fossils of “fish”, sharks and crocodiles, among others, have also been recovered.

As for dinosaurs, we have at least two ornithopods (plant-eating dinosaurs like Iguanodon), and sauropod (large quadrupeds with long necks and tails) and two theropods (carnivorous dinosaurs). One of the latter has made it possible to define the new genus and species.

Within the Maestrat basin we find the Morella sub-basin, where between 127 and 126 million years ago sediments were deposited in a transition zone with a Barremian age (Lower Cretaceous). And it is there in particular where the fossils of Campeón have been found.

Family Spinosauridae: you will know them by their teeth

Spinosaurids are divided into two subfamilies: baryonychines such as Baryonyx and spinosaurines like Spinosaurus. Spinosaurids are thought to have originated in Europe, with the two subfamilies occupying its western part, and may have later migrated to Africa and Asia, where they diversified.

In Europe, baryonychines dominated as Protathlon (the genus of Champion), while in Africa the most abundant were spinosaurines such as Spinosaurus.

What is the difference between them? Protathlon it is classified as baryonychin because it presents dental crowns with denticulate edges, which also curve posteriorly towards the apex.

The almost complete right maxilla of the Cinctorres dinosaur has sixteen sockets separated by interdental plates and fragments of four teeth can be distinguished in the most posterior sockets. Suchomimusanother large predator often classified among spinosaurids, had the largest number of maxillary teeth: 22.

The number of maxillary teeth in baryonychines is almost double that of spinosaurines, which have fewer (12 well-spaced maxillary teeth in Spinosaurus and 11 in Irritator).

Finally, the external nostrils are located more anteriorly in baryonychines than in spinosaurines.

Four dinosaurs in the league

With the latest findings, the province of Castellón now has four new species for science.

The first, the ornithopod Morelladon beltraniwhich was described in 2015.

The second, Vallibonavenatrix of the doga spinosaurine dinosaur that was described in 2019.

The third is another ornithopod dinosaur, Portellsaurus sosbaynatiwhich was described in the year 2021.

And the newcomer to the field of play is Protathylitis cinctorrensisChampion, the first baryonichian dinosaur species identified in the Morella Clays Formation.