New Species of Ornithopod Dinosaur Identified in Spain

Paleontologists in Spain have described a new genus and species of ankylopollexian ornithopod from the fossilized remains found in the Villar del Arzobispo Formation.

The newly-discovered dinosaur species inhabited the coastal ecosystems of eastern Iberia during the Late Jurassic epoch, around 150 million years ago.

Scientifically named Oblitosaurus bunnueli, the species grew up to 7 m (23 feet) in length.

The ancient creature belonged to Ankylopollexia, a group of ornithopod dinosaurs that lived from the Late Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous.

First appearing around 156 million years ago, these dinosaurs became very successful and widespread during the Cretaceous, and were found around the world.

Together with Draconyx loureiroi, Oblitosaurus bunnueli is the earliest known member of Ankylopollexia.

“Ankylopollexia was an abundant and diverse clade of ornithopods present in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia from the Late Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous,” said Dr. Sergio Sánchez-Fenollosa, paleontologist at the Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis / Museo Aragonés de Paleontología, and his colleagues.

“However, the relationships between the basal ankylopollexians are poorly understood.”

The fossilized material from Oblitosaurus bunnueli — a dentary tooth, an ungual pollex of the manus, and an almost complete left hindlimb — was collected from deposits of the Villar del Arzobispo Formation.

“The estimated size of Oblitosaurus bunnueli suggests that it is the largest ornithopod described in the Upper Jurassic of Europe and one of the largest around the world,” the paleontologists said.

“Oblitosaurus bunnueli could be the trackmaker of large ornithopod tracks found in the Upper Jurassic of the Iberian Peninsula.”

“This discovery increases the known ankylopollexian diversity in Iberia, revealing the presence of an Iberian basal ankylopollexian clade that does not appear to be present in the contemporaneous outcrops of North America.”

The team’s paper appears in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

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Sergio Sánchez-Fenollosa et al. The largest ornithopod (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Upper Jurassic of Europe sheds light on the evolutionary history of basal ankylopollexians. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, published online July 18, 2023; doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad076