A study led by researchers from the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP) suggests that the high diversity and abundance of carnivorous dinosaurs, specifically spinosaurs and carcharodontosaurs, prevented the presence of tyrannosauroids during the Early Cretaceous in the Iberian Peninsula. The research has recently been published in the journal Historical Biology, where a large tooth associated with a spinosaurid and two caudal vertebrae attributed to a carcharodontosaur from the País Valencià (Spain) are described.
In the late seventies of the last century, Lourdes Casanovas and Josep Vicenç Santafè, pioneers in Catalan dinosaur paleontology, led several excavations in the vicinity of Morella (País Valencià, Spain). As paleontologists from the Institut de Paleontologia de Sabadell, the predecessor institution of the current Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP), they recovered a considerable amount of remains from herbivorous dinosaurs in the province of Castelló, including Iguanodon, the armoured Polacanthus, and huge brachiosaurs. In some of these campaigns, they also recovered some remains of theropods, that is, carnivorous dinosaurs.
While most of the fossils had already been previously published in scientific journals, some elements of these theropods remained unstudied in the collections of the ICP’s Museum. As a result of a review of historical material from the vicinity of Morella has now enabled, the description of a large tooth and two tail vertebrae. These fossils belong to two different groups of theropod dinosaurs, estimated to be approximately 125 million years old, from theEarly Cretaceous period.
The tooth, approximately 4 cm in length, stands out for its conical shape with longitudinal grooves and serrations only on one of the edges. Due to these distinctive characteristics, it has been assigned to the species of spinosaurid Protathlitis, which was described last year at the ANA fossil site near the town of Cinctorres, just a few kilometers from Morella.
Image 1. Protathlitis tooth from the Barremian of Morella (extracted from Montealegre et al.).
Spinosaurids were a group of predatory dinosaurs adapted to a semiaquatic lifestyle, characterized by elongated snouts and conical teeth similar to those of modern crocodiles. Some spinosaurs even had a sail-like structure running along their back and tail. However, Protathlitis belongs to the subgroup of baryonychines, spinosaurs with a more terrestrial lifestyle compared to their spinosaurine relatives. This tooth represents the second evidence of Protathlitis in the Iberian Peninsula.
Image 2. Reconstruction of the life appearance of a baryonychine spinosaurid (Oscar Sanisidro / Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont).
On the other hand, the tail vertebrae exhibit characteristics very similar to those of the carcharodontosaurs, a group that includes the largest carnivorous dinosaur species of the Early Cretaceous. This widely distributed group was particularly abundant and diverse in South America and Africa, although evidence also exists in North America and Asia.
Image 3. Caudal vertebra of a carcharodontosaurid from the Barremian of Morella (extracted from Montealegre et al.).
"The studied vertebrae show a configuration clearly different from those of the well-known Concavenator, which is the only carcharodontosaurid described in Spain and of a very similar age to the remains from Morella," comments Adrián Montealegre, the first author of the article. Additionally, he adds, "Instead, they are much more similar to those of Acrocanthosaurus, a carcharodontosaurid from North America."
The study concludes that the described fossil remains provide evidence of a new species of carnivorous dinosaur previously unknown in the Iberian Peninsula. Furthermore, current data indicate a remarkable diversity of theropod dinosaurs, especially spinosaurs and carcharodontosaurs, in the western part of the Peninsula during the Early Cretaceous, standing out as a distinctive feature of this region.
According to the study, the large number of predators coexisting in the same space and time may have influenced the presence of another group of predators identified in other regions of Europe, such as Portugal and England, but not in Spain. This group is the tyrannosauroids, ancestors of the feared Tyrannosaurus rex. "The presence of spinosaurs and carcharodontosaurs in this region of the Iberian Peninsula would have prevented species from the same group as the iconic T. rex from living here, possibly due to competition for the same resources. It seems there were too many dinosaurs seating at the table and not enough resources for everyone. So, the first faunas to establish themselves, the spinosaurids and carcharodontosaurids, were the ones who found an open seat”, concludes Albert Sellés, a researcher at the ICP and coordinator of the research.
Approximately 125 million years ago, the lands that now constitute up the northern part of the País Valencià were dominated by an enormous muddy floodplain. Numerous low-flow rivers branched out and traversed this plain, eventually reaching a tidal-influenced coast. The climate at that time was arid subtropical, implying long periods of dryness interspersed with episodes of abundant precipitation. It was during these rainy periods that rivers overflowed, carrying everything in their path, including remains of large dinosaurs, possibly as is the case with Garumbatitan, a recently discovered large sauropod found very close to Morella.
Dinosaurs of Eastern Iberia
The northern area of the province of Castelló stands out as a key area for the study of dinosaurs in the Eastern Iberian Peninsula, thanks to its geological and paleontological richness. Although fossil discoveries in Morella date back to 1872, it was between 1978 and 1980 when the Institut de Paleontologia de Sabadell conducted six excavations under the Fdirection of Lourdes Casanovas and José Vicente Santafé. These excavations were the first to take place systematically by teams of paleontology professionals in the Iberian Peninsula at dinosaur sites, leading to the recovery of numerous fossils.
Since then, the ICP, especially from 2002 onwards, has carried out various excavations, discovering numerous dinosaur sites in the area, including the ANA site in Cinctorres. Discovered in 1998, the ANA site has mainly yielded dinosaur fossil remains dating back around 126 million years, becoming a prominent location for its scientific and heritage contributions.
Main image: On the left, the tooth assigned to the baryonychine Protathlitis. On the right, the two vertebrae attributed to an undetermined carcharodontosaur. Below, a size comparison of the two dinosaurs in relation to an adult person.
Original article:
- Montealegre, A., Castillo-Visa, O., Sellés, A. (2024). New theropod remains from the late Barremian (Early Cretaceous) of Eastern Iberian Peninsula. Historical Biology. DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2024.2308220
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