Paleontologists in Spain have identified 14 fossilized tail vertebrae from a 25-meter-long herbivore as belonging to Diplodocus, marking the first confirmed discovery of the iconic dinosaur genus outside North America and providing new evidence for ancient land bridges across the proto-Atlantic Ocean.
A chance discovery by an excursionist in eastern Spain has rewritten what scientists know about the global reach of one of history’s most recognizable dinosaurs. Researchers working at the La Tejería fossil site in the El Castellar municipality of Teruel recovered a series of remarkably preserved tail bones that bridge a trans-Atlantic divide.
Unearthing the First European Diplodocus in Teruel
The excavation began after an excursionist alerted authorities to exposed fossils on a hillside in El Castellar. Alberto Cobos, managing director of the Dinópolis Foundation, recalled the initial phase of the work, noting that the team vimos que había huesos en la ladera y comenzamos a recuperar vértebras
after spotting the remains weathering out of the rock.
The resulting dig yielded 14 middle and posterior caudal vertebrae alongside several chevron bones. These skeletal elements, dating back roughly 150 million years to the Late Jurassic epoch, exhibited the diagnostic features of the diplodocid family, including large pneumatic cavities in the vertebrae, elongated vertebral centers without lateral crests, deep longitudinal grooves, and bifurcated chevrones. A detailed anatomical and evolutionary analysis subsequently confirmed the specimen as belonging to the genus Diplodocus sp.
Anatomy and Scale of a 25-Meter Sauropod
While other diplodocid sauropods had previously been documented across parts of Europe, Africa, and South America, the genus Diplodocus itself had remained entirely confined in the scientific record to North America, primarily within the Morrison Formation. The Teruel specimen matches the colossal proportions of its North American counterparts.
Weighing an estimated 10 to 16 tonnes, the animal possessed the classic quadrupedal sauropod frame: a low trunk, hind limbs taller than its forelimbs, and a tiny head. Its defining feature was an extraordinarily long whip-like tail.
Crossing the Proto-Atlantic Ocean 150 Million Years Ago
The discovery provides critical support for long-standing theories regarding how land animals migrated between separating landmasses during the Late Jurassic. During the late Kimmeridgian and early Tithonian periods, the proto-North Atlantic Ocean was in the earliest stages of its formation, leaving narrow bodies of water separating what are now North America and Europe.
Researchers analyzing the site suggest that episodic sea regressions and ephemeral land bridges created temporary pathways across the young ocean basin. As one of the investigators observed, the geography allowed animals to cruzar andando de un continente a otro
when only a few kilometers of water separated the opposing coastlines (according to reporting by Euronews).
The study characterizes the find as one of the strongest pieces of evidence of episodic dispersal events and faunal exchanges across the proto-North Atlantic Ocean
(as reported by DW). This geological connection explains why the Iberian Peninsula shared herbivores like Diplodocus and Stegosaurus (noted by El Correo) with North America.
Teruel’s Growing Standing in Global Paleontology
The new fossil adds to an already extraordinary concentration of prehistoric discoveries in Aragon. Alberto Cobos emphasized that Teruel now accounts for 11 of the 35 new dinosaur species formally defined in Spain (highlighted by Euronews). The region’s fossil roster includes other massive sauropods with distinct anatomies, such as Turiasaurus and Losillasaurus (noted by Cope.es).
Visitors can view the original bones of the El Castellar specimen on display in the dinosaur hall of the Aragonese Museum of Paleontology at Dinópolis in Teruel.
What Lies Ahead for Iberian Jurassic Research
With the formal description of the El Castellar remains published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology under the title Intercontinental evidence of the iconic genus Diplodocus Marsh, 1878 (Dinosauria, Sauropoda), attention turns to ongoing fieldwork in the La Tejería beds.