First Diplodocus Fossils Outside North America Found in Teruel, Spain

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Palaeontologists reported on 14 September 2026 the first confirmed Diplodocus remains outside North America, from the La Tejería site at El Castellar, Teruel, Spain.
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The find — 14 tail vertebrae and several chevron bones of an animal about 25 m long that lived ~150 million years ago — is a close relative of Diplodocus hallorum.
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Published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology by the Teruel-Dinópolis Foundation, it supports Late Jurassic dinosaur migration between North America and Europe over temporary land bridges.

●Site: La Tejería, El Castellar, Teruel province, eastern Spain
●Team: Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis; lead author Sergio Sánchez Fenollosa
●Journal: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (reported 14 September 2026)
●Specimen: 14 well-preserved caudal (tail) vertebrae and several chevron bones
●Age: about 150 million years (Late Jurassic); estimated length about 25 m (82 ft)
●Closest relative: Diplodocus hallorum; until now all confirmed Diplodocus came from the western United States
●Diplodocus: long-necked, plant-eating sauropod; name means 'double beam', after paired chevron bones under the tail

The find supports the idea that dinosaurs moved between North America and Europe in the Late Jurassic over temporary land bridges, which formed as the young proto-North Atlantic periodically receded.

The fossils come from Teruel in Aragón, eastern Spain, between Madrid and Valencia — a long-known dinosaur region.

location_onEl Castellarlocation_onTeruellocation_onSpain

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Prelims > Science in news; GS Paper I > Geological time scale

Expected Questions

★Statement question on Diplodocus: its group, period and the meaning of its name

Key Terms

Sauropod

Long-necked, four-legged herbivorous dinosaur group

Chevron bone

Small bone under a tail vertebra; paired chevrons gave Diplodocus its name

priority_highMust Remember

•First Diplodocus outside North America: Teruel, Spain; ~150 million years old
•Close relative of Diplodocus hallorum; 14 tail vertebrae

tips_and_updatesExam Tips

•Jurassic ends about 145 million years ago — Diplodocus is Late Jurassic, not Cretaceous.

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First Diplodocus Fossils Outside North America Found in Teruel, Spain

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Practice Quiz

Before the 2026 find in Spain, all confirmed fossils of the dinosaur Diplodocus had come from which country?

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