Diplodocus fossils found in Spain, first outside North America

Overview

Updated Yesterday

For a century and a half, every Diplodocus skeleton on Earth came from one geological formation in the western United States. On September 15, paleontologists announced the first exception: 14 tail vertebrae from a quarry at La Tejería near El Castellar in eastern Spain, dated to roughly 150 million years ago. That places the most famous long-necked dinosaur in Europe for the first time.

The find, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, challenges the assumption that Diplodocus was exclusively North American. It also strengthens the case that temporary land bridges across the developing Atlantic let dinosaurs walk between North America and Europe during the Late Jurassic, when animals like Allosaurus and Stegosaurus made the same crossing.

Why it matters

The dinosaur most associated with the American West apparently ranged across the Atlantic, which redraws the map of Jurassic migration routes.

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Key Indicators

Well-preserved tail vertebrae recovered

Middle and rear caudal vertebrae plus chevron bones from the La Tejería site.

150

Age of the fossils (millions of years)

Dated to the end of the Jurassic Period, roughly 150 million years ago.

Previous Diplodocus finds outside the Morrison Formation

Every confirmed Diplodocus specimen came from one US deposit before this discovery.

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People Involved

Rafael Sánchez Fenollosa

Lead author, paleontologist at the Teruel-Dinópolis Joint Paleontological Foundation

Lead researcher on the La Tejería Diplodocus study

Fabien Knoll

Paleontologist, Spain's National Museum of Natural Sciences

Independent skeptic of the genus identification

Organizations Involved

Teruel-Dinópolis Joint Paleontological Foundation

Research foundation (joint public-private paleontology institute)

Led the excavation and analysis of the La Tejería Diplodocus

Aragonese paleontological institute that runs the Dinópolis dinosaur park and research program in Teruel, Spain.

Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology

Peer-reviewed scientific journal

Published the study announcing the European Diplodocus

The leading journal for vertebrate paleontology research, published by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Timeline

2008 September 2026

4 events Latest: 3 days ago

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September 2026
Diplodocus identified in Spain
Latest Publication

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology study places the El Castellar specimen within Diplodocus, first outside North America.
3 days ago
2015
Excavation completes at 14 vertebrae
Research

Final campaign recovers the remaining bones, plus chevron elements from the tail.
2015
2014
Second excavation campaign
Research

Fieldwork at La Tejería yields additional vertebrae from the same skeleton.
2014
2008
La Tejería site discovered
Discovery

Paleontologists find five tail vertebrae at a quarry near El Castellar, Teruel.
2008

Scenarios

More complete European Diplodocus confirms the genus

Possible Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Lead author Sánchez Fenollosa and the Teruel-Dinópolis team

Further fieldwork at La Tejería and other Iberian sites recovers skull, neck, or limb bones from Diplodocus. Those would let researchers confirm the genus assignment and determine whether the European animal belongs to a known North American species or a new one. Sánchez Fenollosa said more complete specimens are essential to resolve this.

Spanish fossils reassigned to another sauropod genus

Possible Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Fabien Knoll, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Madrid

Knoll argues the tail vertebrae are compatible with Diplodocus but not diagnostic. Further analysis could show they belong to Supersaurus, Dinheirosaurus, or an entirely new genus. He noted that Iberian diplodocid remains have long been suspected to overlap with these genera.

Complete skeleton reveals a new European Diplodocus species

Possible Resolves by End of 2030

Discussed by: Sánchez Fenollosa, who said it may be 'a previously unknown species'

If more complete fossils show anatomical differences from North American species, researchers could name a new species within the genus. This would make the Spanish Diplodocus the first recognized European member of the genus at the species level.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

Late Jurassic, ~150 mya

Allosaurus and Stegosaurus found in Portugal (Late Jurassic)

Allosaurus, the apex carnivore of the Morrison Formation, turned up in Portugal along with Stegosaurus. Both were genera long thought exclusive to the western United States.

Then

Established that the Morrison dinosaur fauna extended into Iberia.

Now

Built the case for faunal exchange between North America and Europe across the developing Atlantic.

Why this matters now

Diplodocus now joins Allosaurus and Stegosaurus in Spain. Together they suggest a recurring pattern of transatlantic dinosaur migration during the Late Jurassic.

Late Cretaceous, ~68 mya

Bering Land Bridge (about 68 million years ago)

A temporary land bridge connected Asia and what is now Alaska, letting an Asian ancestor of Tyrannosaurus rex walk into North America.

Then

Enabled a major predator to cross between continents.

Now

Demonstrated that ephemeral land bridges allowed dinosaur movement between separated landmasses.

Why this matters now

It is the best-documented precedent for how Diplodocus could have crossed to Europe: a brief land connection, not continuous open-ocean dispersal.

Unknown

Supersaurus–Iberia hypothesis (ongoing)

Paleontologists have long suspected that Supersaurus, another large sauropod, was shared between the Iberian Peninsula and the United States, though fossils on both sides remain fragmentary.

Then

Remains unconfirmed because European diplodocid fossils are rare and incomplete.

Now

Highlights the same identification problem now facing the El Castellar specimen.

Why this matters now

Knoll's caution that the new fossils might belong to Supersaurus or a related genus stems from the same fragmentary-record problem that has dogged this hypothesis for decades.