Turiasaurus

Phylogeny: Dinosauria > Saurischia > Sauropodomorpha > Plateosauria > Massopoda > Sauropodiformes > Sauropoda > Gravisauria > Eusauropoda > Turiasauria

Overview: In the spring of 2003, paleontologists in Spain uncovered the partial remains of a rather massive sauropod dinosaur, soon recognized as those of an unknown taxon. More fossils would be recovered over the next couple of years, leading to a formal description of the bones in 2006. This new genus was named Turiasaurus, deriving part of its generic name from the province of Teruel, in the Spanish region of Aragón. Specifically, the name is taken from the Latin name of Teruel – Turia. Prior to its official naming, it was informally known as “Riodevasaurus” in some sources, referring to a village located near to where it was recovered. Currently, Turiasaurus is based on many of its limb bones, some vertebrae, a few ribs, pieces of the skull, and some of its teeth. Using these fossil remains, paleontologists have determined that Turiasaurus is a contender for the largest European dinosaur yet described. It grew to between twenty-five and thirty meters long, with a weight in the dozens of tons. Fossils of the genus come from the Villar del Arzobispo Formation, which scientists date to the Late Jurassic. Turiasaurus was easily the largest dinosaur in its local environment.

Despite its tremendous size, Turiasaurus retained a number of fairly basal traits, which caused the phylogeny of the animal to initially be a point of debate. Some of its traits, superficially, were quite similar to neosauropods, specifically macronarians like Camarasaurus or Brachiosaurus. Today, it’s generally accepted that Turiasaurus represents a branching lineage of basal eusauropods called the Turiasauria. Other notable turiasaurs included Zby, Moabosaurus, and Mierasaurus. Most were not anywhere near as large as Turiasaurus itself, but they shared some key traits with it, including their famous heart-shaped teeth. Many were initially classified as macronarians. Turiasaurs are thought to have evolved in Europe, or possibly elsewhere, but they only appeared in North America during the Early Cretaceous. This implies a land connection existed during that time or prior, though fossil material of turiasaurs are unknown in North America in the time of Turiasaurus itself. Setting aside its distinctive turiasaur features, Turiasaurus was a fairly typical sauropod in most respects. Its long neck allowed it to feed from tall conifers that were out of reach for smaller herbivores.