A fossil treasure house belonging to a group of 11 dinosaurs was discovered for the first time Italy, Including the largest and most complete dinosaur skeleton ever discovered in the country.
Although isolated Dinosaur remains First discovered in Italy in the 1990s, paleontologists have now identified the entire population in Villaggio del Pescatore, a former limestone quarry near the port city of Trieste in the northeast.
The fossil remains belong to the species Tethyshadros insularis, which has lived for 80 million years and can reach up to 5 meters in length.
“Italy is not famous for dinosaurs. Although we have had several lucky strikes in the past, we now have a whole herd of dinosaurs on a dinosaur site,” said Federico Fanti, a professor at the University of Bologna and head of the research team. (Federico Fanti) said.The research results are published in Journal of Scientific Reports.
Villaggio del Pescatore was first known as a dinosaur after the discovery of the dinosaur skeleton in 1996. Paleontologists named it Antonio, who originally thought it was a “dwarf species.” But the latest discovery raises questions. Antonio is now considered a young dinosaur. He was part of the same group and died together. The largest fossil remains in this group is named Bruno.
“Bruno is the largest and oldest in this group, and the most complete dinosaur skeleton ever found in Italy,” Fanti said.
“After Antonio was discovered, we knew that there were dinosaurs at the scene, but until now, no one has actually checked how many there are. What we now have are multiple bones belonging to the same group.”
Fossil remains of fish, crocodiles, flying reptiles and even small shrimps have been found at the site. The site formed part of the ancient Mediterranean area 80 million years ago.
“This is so cool because we can figure out the type of environment in which dinosaurs live and die,” Fanti added.
“At that time, the area was very close to the coastline, in a tropical, warm and humid environment, capable of feeding groups of dinosaurs.”
So far, some fossils found in the protected area Villaggio del Pescatore are on display at the Natural History Museum of Trieste, and experts hope to eventually open part of the site to the public.
In January, Footprints believe A prehistoric reptile resembling a crocodile was discovered in the Italian Alps.
