Europasaurus
yoo-ROPE-ah-SORE-us
"Europe lizard"
Type species Europasaurus holgeri
- Lived
- 152 to 149 million years ago, Late Jurassic
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Length
- about 6.2 m (20 ft)
- Group
- Sauropods
- Found in
- Germany
- Named by
- Sander et al. 2006
Size comparison
To scale
Scale in metersOutline: typical sauropod shape
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
150 million years ago
Habitat
Europasaurus lived on an island surrounded by shallow seas in what is now Germany, with conifers growing on land. Regional predator teeth suggest hunters related to Torvosaurus and Marshosaurus.
Field notes
About Europasaurus
What it was like
Europasaurus was a dwarf sauropod. Adults reached only about 6.2 meters (20 feet) long, tiny next to its giant relatives, though it still had the long neck, small head and four pillar-like legs of the group.
Scientists think its small size came from island life. Its ancestors seem to have been stranded on islands, where food was limited and smaller bodies had the advantage over many generations.
Its world
It lived about 152 to 149 million years ago, in the Late Jurassic, in what is now northern Germany. At that time much of the region lay under a shallow sea dotted with islands. Its bones come from the Süntel Formation.
How it was found
Sander and colleagues named Europasaurus holgeri in 2006. The bones of many individuals, young and fully grown, were found at a single quarry, which let scientists prove from growth rings in the bones that these small animals were adults and not babies.
Field gallery
More views of Europasaurus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 3
The evidence
The science behind Europasaurus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- Bones from young and fully grown animals show that its small size continued into adulthood.
- Its skull and jaws preserve broad-crowned teeth that were replaced throughout life.
- Young animals had inner ears close to adult size and shape.
Borrowed from relatives
- Much of its skeleton is known directly; Camarasaurus and Giraffatitan help restore the muscles and soft tissues around its bones.
Still unknown
- Its color and skin patterns.
- How much care parents gave their young.
- Which plants made up most of its diet.
Discovery timeline
- 2006Named itMartin Sander et al.
- 2013Growing upCarballido & Sander
- 2016Its worldGerke & Wings
- 2022SkullSchade et al.
- 2024How it fedRégent et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Europasaurus
Named it
Growth marks in the bones showed that small individuals included fully grown adults, supporting dwarfism on an island.
Bone histology indicates insular dwarfism in a new Late Jurassic sauropod dinosaur. Nature 441: 739-741
Read the paper : Bone histology indicates insular dwarfism in a new Late Jurassic sauropod dinosaur (opens in a new tab)Growing up
Compared backbone bones across growth stages and examined the position of Europasaurus among sauropods.
Postcranial axial skeleton of Europasaurus holgeri (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Jurassic of Germany: implications for sauropod ontogeny and phylogenetic relationships of basal Macronaria. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 12: 335-387
Read the paper : Postcranial axial skeleton of Europasaurus holgeri (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Jurassic of Germany: implications for sauropod ontogeny and phylogenetic relationships of basal Macronaria (opens in a new tab)Its world
Compared isolated predator teeth from northern Germany and identified several groups of meat-eating dinosaurs in its island region.
Multivariate and Cladistic Analyses of Isolated Teeth Reveal Sympatry of Theropod Dinosaurs in the Late Jurassic of Northern Germany. PLOS ONE 11: e0158334
Read the paper : Multivariate and Cladistic Analyses of Isolated Teeth Reveal Sympatry of Theropod Dinosaurs in the Late Jurassic of Northern Germany (opens in a new tab)Skull
Scans of adult and juvenile braincases revealed well-developed inner ears in the young, suggesting early independence.
Neurovascular anatomy of dwarf dinosaur implies precociality in sauropods. eLife 11
Read the paper : Neurovascular anatomy of dwarf dinosaur implies precociality in sauropods (opens in a new tab)How it fed
Described broad-crowned teeth, tooth replacement and wear across growth stages, and proposed a possible beak-like covering along the jaws.
The dentition of the Late Jurassic dwarf sauropod Europasaurus holgeri from northern Germany: ontogeny, function, and implications for a rhamphotheca-like structure in Sauropoda. PeerJ 12: e17764
Read the paper : The dentition of the Late Jurassic dwarf sauropod Europasaurus holgeri from northern Germany: ontogeny, function, and implications for a rhamphotheca-like structure in Sauropoda (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Camarasauromorpha
Sources: Wikidata