Sauropod Fossil Found in Portugal, Biggest Discovery in Europe
- Livescience.com
VIVA – The largest fossil discovery in Europe has been found. Researchers claim this fossil discovery is the largest dinosaur fossil. So far, scientists conveys the ribs of a giant dinosaur belonging to the Sauropod dinosaur that had a long neck, long tail, and small head.
This fossil was found in Portugal. Sauropods are an infraorder of saurischian dinosaurs and were known to have lived about 150 million years ago during the latter part of the Jurassic period, or about 201.3 million to 145 million years ago.
This research began in 2017 when local researchers found several fossil bone fragments there.
So far, researchers have consistently referred to these bones as Brachiosaurus, a group of sauropod dinosaurs that lived during the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous, or about 145 million to 66 million years ago.
Sauropods are known for their large size. Within this group are some of the largest animals that have ever existed on Earth. Some of the genes in this species that are widely recognized by the general public are Brachiosaurus, Diplodocus, Apatosaurus, and Brontosaurus.
Sauropods first appeared in the Late Triassic period, and they were probably descendants of Prosauropods.
As information, the size of this dinosaur indicates that this dinosaur is the largest when compared to other Lusotitan Atalaiensis.
The research team estimated that the dinosaur weighed about 48 tons or more than an adult humpback whale, was 40 feet long at standing and stretched more than 82 feet from nose to tip of the tail.