Palaeontologists described a new species of sauropod dinosaur, Qunkasaura pintiquiniestra, based on two partial skeletons found in an excavation site located near Morella (Southeastern Spain), in the southernmost European outcrops for Late Cretaceous continental rocks.
Discovering a Rare Fossil Bounty
The finding of Qunkasaura corresponds to an exceptional fossil record related to the construction of the highspeed train tracks for Madrid-Levante in Cuenca Spain. The site yielded over 12000 fossils, making it one of the most important Late Cretaceous vertebrate bonebeds in Europe.
Published in the reputed Communications Biology, the new investigation was directed by Portuguese paleontologist Pedro Mocho of Lisbon University. The team’s analysis of this high-fidelity fossil deposit demonstrates the existence multiple lineages of saltisaurine sauropods in southern Iberia, a rare condition.
Qunkasaura and The Sauropods of Europe
Qunkasaura is one of a handful of sauropods grouped within the Opisthocoelicaudiinae, a clade (Laurasia) once presumed to be endemic to the northern hemisphere. This indiciates that these sauropods were able to disperse across the Late Cretaceous Iberian Peninsula, forming part of an extensive European archipelago.
On the other hand, whereas most Late Cretaceous sauropods have been recovered in south-western Europe fall into the Lirainosaurinae group, to which they belong Lohuecotitan pandafilandi, this lineage seems to be restricted only to the European continent. The presence of these two sauropod chrenarchosaurs at the Lo Hueco fossil site represents a singular discovery that highlights the complex and rich ecosystems of Late Cretaceous Iberia.
Conclusion
The small dinosaur was a sauropod from the Late Cretaceous, recording the late swath of time when Europe teemed with dinosaurs. The fact that two different sauropods inhabited the same location points to this place as a hotbed of endemism and immigration, reflecting an ecological web conducted by prehistoric life mantra. This stunning discovery is not only pushing our view of sauropod evolution forward, it also highlights the importance of ongoing paleontological surveys in revealing the past.
