Researchers in Brazil have unearthed a newly identified species of vertebrate sauropod dinosaur resembling those from Europe, hinting at an ancient migration route that once linked two continents, now divided by the Atlantic Ocean.
This newly discovered dinosaur species lived approximately 120 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period, a time when the world’s landmasses were consolidated within the southern supercontinent Gondwana.
Dubbed Dasosaurus tocantinensis, this dinosaur measured about 20 meters (66 feet) in length.
It belonged to the Somphospondyli clade, which includes titanosaur-like sauropods that thrived from the late Jurassic to the end of the Cretaceous period.
The partial skeleton of Dasosaurus tocantinensis was unearthed in the Itapecur Formation located in northeastern Brazil.
This dinosaur features distinct anatomical traits, such as elongated ridges and grooves on its caudal vertebrae, as well as a notably pronounced lateral bulge on its femur, characteristics not previously identified in any known species.
These unique features indicate that Dasosaurus tocantinensis lies outside the titanosaur lineage, a subgroup of sauropods that would later dominate the southern continents.
Interestingly, this new species appears most closely related to Galumbachitan morelensis, another sauropod that existed in present-day Spain around 122 million years ago.
The discovery not only catalogs a new species but also reinforces the idea that Early Cretaceous South America was not an isolated evolutionary niche.
Instead, it formed part of a vibrant network of land connections that facilitated dinosaur migrations between continents long before the Atlantic Ocean was fully formed.
“This finding expands the known diversity of Early Cretaceous sauropods in northern South America and underscores their biogeographical ties to Europe and other regions in northern Gondwana,” stated lead author Max Langer from the University of São Paulo and colleagues.
“Indeed, numerical biogeographical analyses suggest that a clade consisting of Dasosaurus tocantinensis and Galumbachitan morelensis originally arose in Europe, with their lineages migrating from Europe to South America through North Africa during the Valanginian (137 to 133 million years ago) and Aptian (121 to 113 million years ago) periods.”
The discovery of Dasosaurus tocantinensis was reported in a research paper published on February 12th in the Journal of Systematic Paleontology.
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Elver L. Mayer et al. (2026). A new European-like titanosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil: Insights into the phylogeny, histology, and biogeography of Somphospondyli. Journal of Systematic Paleontology 24(1); doi: 10.1080/14772019.2025.2601579
Source: www.sci.news
