Portugese Man Finds Dinosaur Skeleton In His Backyard, Might Belong To The Largest Dinosaur Species In Europe

One man from Pombal, Portugal got the surprise of his life when he unearthed some bones while digging on his land to continue with some construction work in 2017. However, he was not scared, rather excited as he contacted the Paleontology department of the University of Lisbon. He had realised that what he had unearthed were fossilised bones from a long gone era, and probably belonged to a dinosaur!

After getting the call, a team from the University immediately began the excavation process.

Now, in August 2022, five years after the initial process started, researchers believe that the remains are that of a Sauropod, possibly a Brachiosaurus, which were believed to be the largest land dinosaurs.

Researchers from Spain and Portugal have unearthed parts of the spine and ribs of the dinosaur.

Brachiosaurus are estimated to have stood 39 feet high and are expected to have been 82 feet long.

These were four-legged dinosaurs that had long necks and were strictly herbivores. They were found during the Late Jurrasic Period, that is, about 160 to 100 million years ago.

According to researcher Dr. Elisabete Malafaia, the dinosaur skeleton found in the man’s backyard was a “beautifully preserved specimen”. She also added that it was not common to find all the ribs of an animal, “let alone in this position, maintaining their original anatomical position”. “This mode of preservation is relatively uncommon in the fossil record of dinosaurs, in particular sauropods, from the Portuguese Upper Jurassic”, she further said.

Researchers are hopeful about finding more of the bones owing to the natural position the dinosaur skeleton in the man’s backyard was found in.