Europasaurus

Phylogeny: Dinosauria > Saurischia > Sauropodomorpha > Plateosauria > Massopoda > Sauropodiformes > Sauropoda > Gravisauria > Eusauropoda > Neosauropoda > Macronaria > Titanosauriformes > Brachiosauridae (?)

Overview: Sauropods were often gigantic animals, with even average-sized taxa being massive by today’s standards. Not all of them, however, were so huge, as we can see with Europasaurus. Its length has been estimated at no more than six meters – quite tiny for a sauropod. In terms of its overall anatomy, however, it was very similar to its larger kin. Europasaurus possessed a long neck, tiny skull, and pillar-like forelimbs. Large portions of its skeleton are known, including multiple neck vertebrae, most of its tail, spinal vertebrae, a number of ribs, the pelvis, and various limb bones, as well as a basically complete skull. The latter is a remarkable find, as sauropod skulls are very rarely preserved fully intact, being so proportionately small and lightly constructed. All of these fossils are known from the Süntel Formation in northern Germany, first discovered in the late 1990’s. Formally described in 2006, the creature’s generic name literally means “European lizard”.

Paleontologists debate how to classify Europasaurus. It’s generally accepted to have belonged to the clade Macronaria, within the larger neosauropod lineage, occupying a status more derived than that of Camarasaurus. It’s often classified within the Titanosauriformes, with some fossil evidence suggesting it may belong to the family Brachiosauridae. It did share a lot of traits in common with a majority of brachiosaurids. Europasaurus had forelimbs that were as long or longer in comparison to its hind legs, as well as a boxy skull with a tall nasal bone. If it was a brachiosaurid, then it was by far the smallest member of the family. Some of the largest brachiosaurids, like Brachiosaurus itself, grew to be among the largest dinosaurs known from the Late Jurassic. The region today comprising northern Germany was part of an island chain at that time, so the smaller size of Europasaurus has often been cited as an example of insular dwarfism, having adapted to limited space and food.