Dinosaur discovery: Ancient skeleton unearthed on Portugal beach
A dinosaur skeleton over 190 million years old was discovered in Portugal. It is one of the oldest finds of its kind in the country.
What do you need to know?
- Where was the skeleton discovered? The discovery was made at Agua de Madeiros Beach in the municipality of Marinha Grande on Portugal's western coast.
- What challenges did scientists face? Extracting the fossil from marl, a sedimentary rock, posed a logistical challenge due to the rock block weighing 1.3 tons.
- What's next for the discovery? Paleontologists from the Lourinha Museum are working on identifying the dinosaur species.
The fossilized dinosaur skeleton was discovered at Agua de Madeiros Beach, over 190 million years old and one of the oldest in Portugal. Extracting the fossil was complicated because it was embedded in marl, a sedimentary rock composed of calcium.
They discovered a dinosaur skeleton from 190 million years ago
A team of paleontologists from the Lourinha Museum conducted the excavation in collaboration with municipal services. The work was carried out quickly to prevent damage to the fossil from ocean waves or low temperatures. Joao Brito from the town hall in Marinha Grande emphasized that transporting the 1.3-ton rock block to the Lourinha Museum posed a significant logistical challenge.
Currently, paleontologists are trying to identify the dinosaur species.
Twenty-five years ago, a fossilized skeleton of another dinosaur, dating back about 195 million years, was discovered near Marinha Grande. It was the oldest Plesiosaurus specimen on the Iberian Peninsula, an order of extinct marine reptiles. This highlights the region's richness in prehistoric finds.
