2023-05-19 11:10:05
The wealth that the Spanish archaeological heritage treasures has been enlarged with the description of a new species of dinosaur, a bipedal and carnivorous spinosaurus whose first fossil remains have appeared in a site in the Castellón town of Cinctorres.
The identification of this new species already suggests that the Iberian Peninsula could have been a very diverse area for spinosaurs of medium or large body, and sheds light on the origin and evolution of these dinosaurs, have underlined the main researchers of the work after the publication of his conclusions in the magazine Scientific Reports.
They have named it Protathylitis cinctorrensis, because on the one hand “Protathlitís” (“champion” in Greek) refers to the UEFA Europa League title that Villareal CF won in 2021 and serves as a tribute to the centenary of the club, which is celebrated in 2023. Meanwhile, “cinctorrensis “represents the recognition of the locality and the inhabitants of the place where the Fossil remains.
The identification of this new species suggests that the Iberian Peninsula may have been a very diverse area for spinosaurs.
Researchers have analyzed fossil fragments—a right jaw bone, a tooth, and five tail vertebrae—discovered in the Clays of Morella Formation and, from them, they have determined that it was a specimen between 10 and 11 meters long and weighing 2 tons, also different from other previously found spinosaurs.
The principal investigator of the work, Andres Santos-Cubedohas dated the fossil remains that have been found in the Berremian period —in the lower Cretaceous, between 127 and 126 million years ago— and has explained that almost 1,000 fossil remains of at least two arnithopod (plant-eating) dinosaurs, a sauropod (quadruped dinosaur with a long neck and tail), and two theropods (carnivores), including the new species.
Fossils of other Mesozoic vertebrates (age of dinosaurs) such as fish, sharks or crocodiles have appeared in the same place
In addition to dinosaurs, other fossils have appeared in the same place. mesozoic vertebrates (era of the dinosaurs) such as fish, sharks or crocodiles, as specified by the paleontologist, who also points out the real possibility of finding more fossil remains of the new dinosaur that has now been described, since the excavations have not yet been completed and the next year a new campaign will begin.
Santos-Cubedo has assessed that it is a particularly relevant finding, since carnivore fossils are less abundant than those of their relatives that fed on plants, and has classified the region of Els Ports (Castellón) as a “crucial area “for the study of Lower Cretaceous dinosaurssince with this there are four new species that have been described for science.
A group of paleontologists working at the Cinctorres site (Castellón) where the fossil remains of the new dinosaur have appeared / Grup Guix de Villareal
A bipedal, carnivorous spinosaurus
Los spinosaurid theropods They are carnivorous dinosaurs that were characterized by walking on their two hind legs, while on their arms they had strong claws to catch their prey. Its conical teeth were located in an elongated snout very similar to that of crocodiles, explained the paleontologist.
The investigations that have taken place during the last decades suggest that spinosaurids could originate in Europa and later migrate to Africa and Asia, and the evidence of its existence in Spain is based mainly on remains of fossilized teeth.
The evidence of its existence in Spain is based mainly on remains of fossilized teeth
The importance of the site it is capital letter. The researcher recalled that two years ago he published a paper in which the fossil remains of a dinosaur, also unknown until then and similar to an “iguanodon” (giant iguana), were revealed.
In research published Scientific Reports paleontologists and researchers from the Jaime I University of Castellón and the Grup Guix de Villareal association have participated.
Reference:
Santos-Cubedo, A. et al. A new spinosaurid dinosaur species from the Early Cretaceous of Cinctorres (Spain). Scientific Reports (2023)
Rights: Creative Commons.
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