Paleontologists in Spain have identified the first known evidence of the dinosaur genus Diplodocus outside North America, after studying fossilised tail bones discovered at a site in Teruel.

The specimen comes from La Tejería, near El Castellar in the province of Teruel, Aragón. Researchers from the Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis identified the fossils as belonging to Diplodocus following anatomical comparisons and evolutionary analyses. The study was published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology in September 2026.

A discovery that changes Diplodocus's known range

Until now, confirmed Diplodocus fossils had been known from the Morrison Formation in the western United States.

The Spanish specimen provides the first evidence that the genus also lived in Europe during the Late Jurassic. Researchers say the finding expands the known geographical distribution of one of the world's best-known long-necked dinosaurs.

The study does not assign the animal to a specific species. Instead, the fossils are formally identified as Diplodocus sp., reflecting the fact that the material available comes primarily from the middle and rear sections of the tail.

Fourteen tail vertebrae and several chevrons

The fossils include 14 caudal vertebrae, numbered from the 22nd through the 35th vertebrae of the tail, together with numerous chevrons.

Chevrons are bones positioned beneath the tail vertebrae and form part of the supporting structure of the tail.

The exceptionally preserved material allowed researchers to examine distinctive anatomical characteristics associated with Diplodocus, including features of the vertebrae and chevrons.

The animal may have reached 25 metres

According to Alberto Cobos, director-gerente of the Fundación Dinópolis and a co-author of the research, the El Castellar Diplodocus would have reached approximately 25 metres in length.

That figure is an estimate of the living animal's overall size. The fossil material itself represents only part of the tail rather than a complete skeleton.

Diplodocus was a giant herbivorous sauropod recognised for its long neck, extremely elongated tail and relatively small head.

The fossils were found years ago

Although the scientific identification has only now been published, the discovery at La Tejería dates back to 2008.

The fossil site was initially reported after bones were noticed in the area. Five tail vertebrae were recovered in 2008, while further excavations in 2014 and 2015 produced another nine caudal vertebrae and numerous chevrons.

The long interval between the discovery and publication reflects the detailed anatomical and phylogenetic work required to establish the specimen's identity.

Evidence of prehistoric movement between continents

One of the most significant implications of the discovery concerns how dinosaurs could have moved between Europe and North America during the Late Jurassic.

The researchers say the Spanish Diplodocus provides one of the strongest lines of evidence for episodes of dispersal and faunal exchange across the proto-North Atlantic during this period.

The Atlantic Ocean was very different from the modern ocean around 150 million years ago, as the continents were still separating following the breakup of Pangaea.

The study discusses the possibility that temporary land connections associated with changes in sea level helped animals move between the two regions. This is presented as an explanation for the biogeographical evidence, rather than as a directly observed migration route.

Teruel was home to a diverse Jurassic ecosystem

The discovery adds to an already significant fossil record in Teruel.

Researchers say the specimen contributes to a better understanding of the diversity of sauropod dinosaurs that lived in eastern Iberia during the Late Jurassic and provides further information about the coastal ecosystems of the region.

Teruel is already well known for major dinosaur discoveries, including several giant sauropods with very different anatomical characteristics from Diplodocus.

What makes the Spanish find unusual

Diplodocus is one of the most recognisable dinosaurs in popular culture, but its confirmed fossil record had remained concentrated in North America for more than a century.

The identification of the El Castellar material therefore does more than add another dinosaur fossil to Spain's collection. It changes the known continental distribution of the genus and adds evidence to a growing picture of connections between Jurassic dinosaur populations in Europe and North America.

The specimen is now part of Teruel's palaeontological record

The fossils studied from the El Castellar specimen are housed in the Museo Aragonés de Paleontología in Teruel.

Reports following the publication of the research say the material is being made available for research and public education through the Dinópolis palaeontology complex.

A new chapter in Diplodocus research

The Spanish discovery does not establish a previously unknown species of Diplodocus. More complete material would be needed to determine whether the animal represents a known species or an as-yet undescribed one.

What the research does establish is that the genus Diplodocus was present in Europe during the Late Jurassic.

For palaeontologists, the finding offers new evidence about dinosaur distribution, prehistoric ecosystems and the movement of animals between continents at a time when the geography of Earth looked very different from today.