A team of international researchers has uncovered two new species of dinosaurs in Romania's Hațeg Basin, part of the UNESCO Global Geopark Țara Hațegului, the University of Bucharest announced. The discovery, led by Dr. Verónica Díez Díaz from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, sheds new light on the diversity of dinosaurs that roamed Europe during the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 70 million years ago.

The newly identified species, Petrustitan hungaricus and Uriash kadici, are sauropods. Their discovery increases the number of known European sauropod species to 11, a significant rise from just five species documented 15 years ago. Notably, four of these have been found in the Hațeg Basin, underscoring the region's importance for paleontological research.

While Petrustitan hungaricus is believed to have been slightly larger than the dwarf sauropod Magyarosaurus dacus, fossils of Uriash kadici suggest it was nearly four times bigger. This finding challenges previous theories about insular dwarfism - the idea that dinosaurs on ancient European islands adapted to limited resources by evolving smaller body sizes. 

Dr. Zoltán Csiki-Sava of the University of Bucharest, a co-author of the study published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, explained that previous research indicated most herbivorous dinosaurs in Hațeg were significantly smaller than their mainland relatives. However, the discovery of a large-sized sauropod like Uriash kadici suggests that some species managed to retain their size, indicating a more complex evolutionary process than previously thought.

Further analysis of European sauropods has revealed connections with species from Africa, Asia, and even South America, according to Dr. Philip Mannion of University College London, another co-author of the study.

"These migrations often seem to coincide with lower global ocean levels, which may have created temporary land routes to Europe from Africa and Asia. However, interestingly, it is also possible that some of these immigrants swam to Europe, crossing maritime distances of up to 500 kilometers over millions of years," emphasized Paul Upchurch, researcher and lecturer at University College London, also co-author of the article.

However, despite the groundbreaking nature of this discovery, researchers emphasize that their work is far from complete. Dr. Díez Díaz highlighted the importance of continued exploration and funding for paleontology, stating, "Europe still holds many surprises when it comes to Late Cretaceous dinosaurs. New sites and fossil discoveries will continue to refine our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems."

The UNESCO Global Geopark Țara Hațegului encompasses the entire Țara Hațegului region and holds UNESCO site status as part of the International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme, which includes 195 territories across 48 countries within the Global Geoparks Network, selected and validated through a rigorous process. The administration of the UNESCO Global Geopark status is managed by the University of Bucharest.

The Geopark features remarkable geological elements alongside ecological, archaeological, historical, and cultural points of interest. The dinosaurs discovered in Țara Hațegului are unique in the world, their scientific significance and appeal further enhanced by the discovery of nests containing eggs and dinosaur hatchlings, as well as fossils of mammals that coexisted with dinosaurs and a gigantic flying reptile (Hatzegopteryx), part of the pterosaur group.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Unibuc.ro)