The sediments of the region of Els Ports de Morella contain an abundant record of Early Cretaceous dinosaurs from about 122 million years ago. In fact, some of the first dinosaur remains found in Spain were discovered in the Morella area. In recent years, different excavation campaigns have recovered numerous Mesozoic vertebrate fossils in the vicinity of this locality, some of which are highly significant. This includes an important collection of ornithopod dinosaurs, with Morelladon beltrani standing out among them.

Recently, a team of paleontologists has published a study in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society describing a new species of dinosaur that they named Garumbatitan morellensis. This new species belongs to the well-known group of sauropods, which are quadrupeds herbivorous with long tails and necks that could reach colossal dimensions. The remains of this new dinosaur were discovered in the sediments around the locality of Morella.

The material was found in 2005 and 2008 at Sant Antoni de la Vespa in Morella, where fossil elements of at least four individuals were identified, with three of them belonging to the new species. This site has been recognized as one of the largest collections of Early Cretaceous sauropod dinosaur remains found in all Europe. Sant Antoni de la Vespa constitutes a key locality for the study of dinosaurs in Spain during this time interval. One of the individuals stands out due to its large size, with vertebrae measuring over 1 meter in width and a femur that could be close to two meters in height. Exceptionally, the site yielded two nearly complete articulated feet, which are particularly rare in the fossil record.

Image 2. General view of the Sant Antoni de la Vespa excavation site during the extraction of one of the Garumbatitan specimens (Credits: GBE-UNED)

The research article provides a detailed description of the fossil remains found in Sant Antoni de la Vespa and identifies a set of anatomical characteristics that differ from other sauropod dinosaurs. Garumbatitan is characterized by the unique morphology of its femur and foot elements. The femur has a morphology commonly found among Late Cretaceous sauropods. Furthermore, this new study analyzes the phylogenetic relationships of Garumbatitan morellensis with other Early Cretaceous sauropod dinosaurs from the Iberian Peninsula, with the newly described species from Morella being one of the more primitive members of the sauropod group called Somphospondyli. This group was one of the most diverse and abundant during the Cretaceous period and went extinct at the end of the Mesozoic era, like all non-avian dinosaurs.

Relationship of Garumbatitan morellensis with some of the most relevant sauropods and skeletal remains of Garumbatitan morellensis. (Credits: GBE-UNED).

The study also reveals the complex evolutionary history of sauropods in the European Cretaceous, particularly on the Iberian Peninsula, with species related to lineages found in Asia and North America, as well as some groups closely related to forms from the African continent. This suggests the existence of periods of faunal dispersal between these continents. Next step, the preparation process -which involves removing sediment to reveal the details of the fossils- of the remains excavated at this site will provide more information for understanding the early evolution of sauropods that dominated dinosaur faunas for millions of years during the Mesozoic era.

The name of the new species, Garumbatitan morellensis, contains a dual reference: Garumbatitan means 'Garumba's giant,' as the specimen was found at the base of the Mola de la Garumba, one of the highest reliefs in the Els Ports region. The specific name, morellensis, refers to the locality where the site is located. The fossil remains of Garumbatitan morellensis are part of one of the largest collections of Mesozoic vertebrate fossils on the Iberian Peninsula, deposited at the Museu Temps de Dinosaures de Morella and are part of the Xarxa de Museus de la Generalitat Valenciana.

The study, led by Pedro Mocho (Faculdade de Ciências de la Universidade de Lisboa), is part of the projects carried out by the Evolutionary Biology Group at the UNED in the Morella area. In addition to various members of this group, the publication also involves researchers from the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Grup Guix de Vila-real, Museo de Ciencias Naturales de València, Universitat Jaume I de Castelló, and the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

Main image: Artwork of the appearance in life of Garumbatitan morellensis. (Credits: Grup Guix).

Research article:  

• Mocho, P., Escaso, F., Gasulla, J. M., Galobart, À., Poza, B., Santos-Cubedo, A., Sanz, J. L. & Ortega, F. (2023). New sauropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Morella (Spain) provides new insights on the evolutionary history of Iberian somphospondylan titanosauriforms. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad124