Scientists discover massive long-necked dinosaur 'titan' in Spain

Morella, SpainEdited By: Moohita Kaur GargUpdated: Oct 06, 2023, 04:35 PM IST

The sauropod fossil — dinosaurs with long necks, long tails, small heads, and four thick, pillar-like legs — was found during an excavation more than a decade ago, between 2005 and 2008. Photograph:(Twitter)

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Garumbatitan morellensis was a Titanosaur species, which is a subgroup of sauropods, and it was the only lineage to survive until the dinosaur-killing asteroid struck around 66 million years ago

Some 122 million years ago, Spain was home to a massive never-seen-before dinosaur, new fossils show. The newly described species has been named Garumbatitan morellensis, and it was found during excavations at the Sant Antoni de la Vespa fossil site near the city of Morella.

Researchers have described their findings in a new study published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society on September 28.

A titan of yesterday

The sauropod fossil — dinosaurs with long necks, long tails, small heads, and four thick, pillar-like legs — was found during an excavation more than a decade ago, between 2005 and 2008.

Garumbatitan morellensis was a Titanosaur species, which is a subgroup of sauropods, and it was the only lineage to survive until the dinosaur-killing asteroid struck around 66 million years ago.

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During the excavation, researchers uncovered the remains of not just one, but three individuals. Remains include massive vertebrae, lengthy leg bones and two near-complete sets of foot bones, which reportedly is an extremely rare find for sauropods.

These massive fossils, as per estimates, date back to the Lower Cretaceous period (some 145 to 66 million years ago).

Titanosaurs

Garumbatitan morellensis, as per scientists, was a pretty average-sized Titanosaur, a subgroup used to classify the most massive sauropods.

While Titanosaurs were the heaviest sauropods, as per Live Science, they were not the longest. That title is reserved for Supersaurus, an as-of-yet unspecified sauropod species that stretched to 128 feet or 39 metres long.

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Garumbatitan morellensis's unusual bone shape, as per Live Science, suggests that the massive dinosaur was quite primitive. The discovery, as per the report, could help scientists better understand the evolution of these gigantic, long-necked dinosaurs.

These titans belonged to the sub-group Somphospondyli, whose fossils have been found on every modern-day continent. However, it is unclear where the Somphospondyli may have originated. The long-necked dinosaur discovery in Spain hints at the possibility that Europe may be where they first roamed.

(With inputs from agencies)