Turiasaurus

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Extinct genus of dinosaurs

title: "Turiasaurus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["turiasauria", "dinosaur-genera", "kimmeridgian-dinosaurs", "fossil-taxa-described-in-2006", "dinosaurs-of-spain"] description: "Extinct genus of dinosaurs" topic_path: "geography/spain" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turiasaurus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Extinct genus of dinosaurs ::

| fossil_range = Kimmeridgian-Tithonian ~ | image = Turiasaurus in zientzia astea.jpg | image_caption = Mounted replica skeleton | genus = Turiasaurus | parent_authority = Royo Torres et al. 2006 | display_parents=2 | species = riodevensis | authority = Royo Torres et al. 2006

Turiasaurus (meaning "Turia lizard") is a genus of sauropod dinosaurs. It is known from a single fossil specimen representing the species Turiasaurus riodevensis, found in the Kimmeridgian Villar del Arzobispo Formation of Teruel, Spain.

Description

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Turiasaurus_scale.png" caption="Size compared with a human"] ::

Turiasaurus is believed to be the largest dinosaur ever found in Europe, and is among the largest dinosaurs known. It was originally estimated at over 30 m, possibly around 36 - in length and with a weight of 40 -. More recent estimates suggest a length of 21 - 30 m in length, but a comparable weight of 30 -. The length of its skull is 70 centimetres, which is not too large. According to the paleontologist Luis Alcalá, this is because a larger head might have caused Turiasaurus to break its neck.

Phylogenetic analysis shows that Turiasaurus lies outside of the Neosauropoda division and belongs to a new clade, Turiasauria, together with Losillasaurus and Galvesaurus.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Turiasaurus1.jpg" caption="Life restoration"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Turia_wiki.jpg" caption="Alternate reconstruction"] ::

Fragmentary remains of this animal, including an articulated left forelimb (holotype), skull fragments, teeth, vertebrae and ribs, have been found in terrestrial deposits of the Villar del Arzobispo Formation of Riodeva (Teruel Province, Spain). A forelimb from Portugal is now seen as Zby atlanticus. The type species, Turiasaurus riodevensis, was formally described by Royo-Torres, Cobos & Alcala, in 2006. In the early 2010s, excavations were made east of Madrid that uncovered the most complete fossil of such creatures in the whole world.

References

References

  1. Royo-Torres, R., Cobos, A., and Alcalá, L. (2006). "A Giant European Dinosaur and a New Sauropod Clade." ''Science'' '''314''': 1925-1927.
  2. Paul, G.S., 2010, The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs, Princeton University Press.
  3. (2020-09-29). "Dinosaur Facts and Figures: The Sauropods and Other Sauropodomorphs". Princeton University Press.
  4. (2012). "El Turiasaurus". El Mundo.
  5. Mateus, O. (2009). The sauropod ''Turiasaurus riodevensis'' in the Late Jurassic of Portugal. Journal of vertebrate Paleontology, 29.
  6. Octávio Mateus, Philip D. Mannion & Paul Upchurch (2014) Zby atlanticus, a new turiasaurian sauropod (Dinosauria, Eusauropoda) from the Late Jurassic of Portugal, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 34:3, 618-634, DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2013.822875
  7. "Největší dinosaurus moc nemyslel, zato pořádně jedl". seznam.

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turiasauriadinosaur-generakimmeridgian-dinosaursfossil-taxa-described-in-2006dinosaurs-of-spain