Titanosaur: Scientists discover huge new dinosaur species in Spanish mountains

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Artists impression of titanosaurImage source, Institut Català de Paleontologia
Image caption,

Artist's impression of how the new titanosaur species might have looked

Scientists have identified a huge new species of dinosaur in northern Spain.

The giant Titanosaur was found in the Pyrenees mountains near the border with France, and was nearly 20 metres long - that's around the length of two double decker buses!

It weighed a whopping 14 tonnes and is believed to have lived on earth around 70 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period.

Scientists say it's the most complete herbivorous - plant eating - dinosaur specimen to have been discovered so far in Europe!

What did scientists find?

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

The fossils were found in the Pyrenees mountains in northern Spain

Experts say they have collected 53 different parts of its skeleton, which have been discovered in the area over the past seventy years.

They include several teeth, vertebrae, ribs, and different types of bone.

Scientists were surprised at just how big the dinosaur - which has been named Abditosaurus kuehnei - turned out to be.

Did you know?

Titanosaur fossils have been found on every continent in the world except Antarctica!

During the Cretaceous period, Europe was made up of dozens of islands and dinosaurs species that evolved then were generally smaller in size, mainly due to the limited amount of food resources available.

Palaeontologist Bernat Vila, who lead the research said, "Titanosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous of Europe tend to be small or medium-sized due to their evolution.

"That's why we were astonished by the large dimensions of this specimen," he added.

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