Abditosaurus, which means “forgotten lizard,” is an extinct type of dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period about 70.5 million years ago.
This dinosaur is part of a larger group known as titanosaurs, which were massive, long-necked dinosaurs. Its remains were found in Catalonia, Spain, on a prehistoric island that includes parts of modern-day Spain, Portugal, and southern France.
The first discovery of Abditosaurus was made by a German paleontologist named Walter Georg Kühne in 1954. While digging for fossils of mammals, he stumbled upon large dinosaur bones at a location known as Orcau-1. Over the next few years, more bones were collected from the site.
The scientific name for this dinosaur is Abditosaurus kuehnei. It was named in honor of Kühne, the person who first found its fossils.
Abditosaurus is particularly interesting because it is believed to have been the largest titanosaur on its island. It is estimated to have been about 17.5 meters long—roughly the length of a basketball court—and weighed around 14 tonnes, which is similar to the weight of a small elephant.
The bones of this dinosaur include parts of its sternum and legs, which were important for studying its anatomy. Some of the bones were unique for titanosaurs, leading researchers to learn more about how these dinosaurs lived.
The fossils of Abditosaurus were hidden for many years before later expeditions uncovered more material. This process helps paleontologists understand that there may be many dinosaur species waiting to be discovered.
In terms of relationships with other dinosaurs, Abditosaurus was found to be related to other titanosaurs found in South America and Africa, not closely related to other European dinosaurs.
During its time, the land that is now southern France, Spain, and Portugal formed an island. Abditosaurus was larger compared to many other dinosaurs that lived there, which were generally smaller. This suggests that Abditosaurus might have been a newcomer to the island, joining the dinosaur population as larger species began appearing.
Overall, Abditosaurus helps us uncover more about the diverse world of dinosaurs that once roamed the Earth.