Source by: Syfy
Dinosaur specimens have been discovered on, almost, different continents of the world. Ranging from Africa, down to North America, South America, Europe, and lots more. However, over time, Europe might be the continent where most dinosaur fossils have been discovered. Hence, we will narrow down on a particular country in Europe; Spain.
We will look through different dinosaurs that roamed prehistoric Spain. Some of these dinosaurs are not very famous, but of course, like animals from Spain, they are unique, big, and amazing in their different ways.
Ranging from Aragosaurus to Pelecanimimus, here are some of the dinosaurs whose habitats were in prehistoric Spain. and their fossils have been found in Spain.
List of Spanish Dinosaurs
Arenysaurus
Source by: Nexus Mods
Let’s start our tour around the country of Spain with this herbivore; Arenysaurus. Arenysaurus is a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous (66 million years ago), being one of the last non-avian dinosaurs.
Arenysaurus was a lambeosaurine ane, it had a hollow crest on its forehead, and it lived during the time Saurulophine hadrosaurs roamed other parts of the world like in North America.
Being a herbivore, Arenysaurus might have been a feast to some predators animals during that Era. Well due to its size, we can’t be too sure of that.
Delapparentia
Source by: EI Periodico Mediterraneo
Not too long ago, about 50 years, the fossil of this dinosaur was unearthed. This 27-foot-long dinosaur was classified as an Iguanodon.
Well, it seems that was not quite a pretty fate. Fast-forward to 2011, this fragile but ungainly-looking herbivore was rescued from obscurity and named after the French Paleontologist who unearthed it, Albert-Felix de Lapparent.
Delapparentia existed from 136.4 million years ago to 125.45 million years ago, and so far, two eggs have been discovered.
Demandasaurus
Source by: DeviantArt
Here is another dinosaur found in Spain not too long ago. In fact, it is the most recent dinosaur discovered on our shortlist. Demandasaurus was discovered in 2011, although it roamed the earth some 130 million years ago.
This modern-day discovered dinosaur might have been closely related to the North America Diplodocus. It was an early Cretaceous dinosaur.
Europelta
Source by: Species New to Science
Europelta is a member of the Ankylosaur family, and it’s a type of dinosaur called the nodosaur. What’s interesting about this dinosaur is its mechanism of evading being eaten by the theropod dinosaurs. This prickly, two-ton plant-eater would flop on its belly and pretend to be a rock. Quite impressive!
Europelta lived some 100 million years ago and is quite distinct from its North America counterparts to signify that it evolved on one of the numerous islands dotting middle Cretaceous Spain.
Pelecanimimus
Source by: DeviantArt
Pelecanimimus was discovered in the early 1990s. You could say it’s one of the modern-day discovered dinosaurs. What’s special about this dinosaur was its teeth.
Pelecanimimus had the most teeth of, virtually, all theropods. In fact, quite more than the deadly T. Rex. It lived in the Cretaceous period, on the Iberian Peninsula, some 150 million years ago.
Aragosaurus
Source by: DeviantArt
Our next dinosaur found in Spain is the Aragosaurus. This beast lived in the country some 140 million years ago. Quite a long time ago!
Sauropods began their slow evolutionary transition into titanosaurs–the gigantic, lightly armored, plant-munching dinosaurs that spread to every continent on earth.
The importance of Aragosaurus (named after the Aragon region of Spain) is that it was one of the last classic sauropods of early Cretaceous western Europe, and, just possibly, directly ancestral to the first titanosaurs that succeeded it.
Portellsaurus
Source by: DeviantArt
This is one of the newest species of dinosaurs to be discovered in the country. Portellsaurus sosbaynati (meaning “Portell lizard”) is an extinct genus of hadrosaurid dinosaurs that lived in Spain during the Early Cretaceous period.
Analysis by Paleontologists and scientists revealed that this new Iberian form is closely related to the African taxon Ouranosaurus nigeriensis.
FAQs About Spanish Dinosaurs
Source by: EurekAlert!
Did Spain Have Dinosaurs?
Europe is relatively rich in fossils from the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary. Many of these ancient creatures roamed Prehistoric Spain; our shortlist shows that.
What is the most famous dinosaur discovered in Spain?
Although it might be a little difficult to arrive at a specific answer. However, the most famous dinosaur found in Spain has to be The Aragosaurus.
Source by: Phys. org
Where can I find fossils in Spain?
Fossils have been found in different places in the country. So, there is no one-special place to find fossils. However, here is a list of some of the places dinosaurs have been found in Spain.
- Salas de los Infantes, Burgos.
- Costalomo, Burgos.
- Regumiel de la Sierra, Burgos.
- Ichnite Route, Soria.
- From the birth to the end of the dinosaurs in Cuenca and its surroundings.
- Paleontological Museum of Elche, Alicante.
- Fully operational sites in Morella, Castellón.
Did Baryonyx live in Spain?
No! Baryonynx didn’t live in Spain. Baryonyx was found in the Wealden Group, in rocks that are around 125 million years old. This dinosaur’s adaptations to life on the water’s edge were likely well suited to its waterlogged habitat in southeast England.
Conclusion
Source by: Courier- Journal
That’s how far we can go on our shortlist of dinosaurs found in Spain. Although the list is not exhaustive, we hope you have learned a few things. And of course, next time we will consider some more interesting things about dinosaurs; maybe dinosaurs discovered in some other parts of the world, like Africa, America, and lots more.
While you are here, do well to check out our animatronic dinosaurs. Not only do we have the animatronic products of all the dinosaurs discussed, but also, we have some other dinosaurs like the fearsome King Tyrannosaurus Rex, the long-necked brontosaurus, and a host of others. Do well to check them out.
