Spanish paleontologists have identified fossil bones found in El Castellar, Teruel, as belonging to Diplodocus, including 14 tail vertebrae and chevron bones, with discoveries dating back to 2008 and further finds in 2014 and 2015.

This represents the first confirmed Diplodocus fossils found outside North America, extending the genus’s range to Iberia.

The remains are well-preserved tail vertebrae and chevron bones, confidently classified as Diplodocus or a close cousin of Diplodocus hallorum.

The find provides strong evidence of dinosaur dispersal between North America and Europe during the Late Jurassic, likely via temporary land bridges as the proto-Atlantic receded.

It marks the first evidence of this genus in Europe and supports early faunal exchanges between North America and Europe around 163 to 145 million years ago.

The ~150-million-year-old specimen suggests Late Jurassic migration between continents, possibly through temporary land bridges in the proto-North Atlantic.

A study in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology reports that Diplodocus lived in Europe for the first time.

Researchers include Sergio Sánchez Fenollosa and Alberto Cobos; the study is published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

The forthcoming paper by Sánchez Fenollosa et al., 2026, titled Intercontinental evidence of the iconic genus Diplodocus Marsh, 1878 (Dinosauria, Sauropoda), will appear in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Teruel, Spain, is highlighted as a key reference site for understanding Jurassic dinosaur diversity and intercontinental faunal exchange.

The discovery enhances knowledge of Iberian Mesozoic ecosystems and sauropod diversity in Europe during the Jurassic.

Context-wise, Diplodocus is a long-necked sauropod known from the Morrison Formation in the western United States, and this find expands its geographic range.