Dinosaur skeleton found in Portugal's backyard could be Europe's biggest ever find: report

It is believed that the remains belong to a sauropod dinosaur.

The remains of what may be the largest dinosaur ever found in Europe have been unearthed in the man’s back garden in Portugal.

according to BBCThe skeleton was discovered in downtown Pombal in 2017, when a man began building his home and noticed fragments of a fossilized bone. Then Spanish and Portuguese paleontologists excavated the dinosaur in August of this year. They believe the fossilized skeleton is that of a sauropod, a four-legged herbivorous creature with long necks and tails.

Sauropods were the largest of all dinosaurs and the largest land animals that ever lived. Experts reported that they lived during the Upper Jurassic period which was about 150 million years ago.

Paleontologists have discovered parts of the dinosaur’s spine and ribs indicating that the huge reptile was about 12 meters (39 ft) high and 25 meters (82 ft) long.

Elizabeth Malavia, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Lisbon’s Faculty of Science, said: Phys.org“It is not usual to find all the ribs of an animal like this, let alone in this position, maintain their original anatomical position.”

“This method of preservation is relatively uncommon in the fossil record of dinosaurs, particularly sauropods, from the Portuguese Upper Jurassic,” she added.

Because of the natural location where the skeleton was found, researchers working on the excavation hope there is more of it they haven’t discovered yet.

The skeleton is now being studied by an international research team.

Meanwhile, this comes after researchers in the United States found dinosaur footprints From 113 million years ago. After a Texas drought dries up a river flowing through Dinosaur Valley State Park, traces of giant reptiles have been revealed.