Fundación Dinópolis paleontologists describe Europe's most complete stegosaur skull
Updated
Updated · SciTechDaily · May 4
Fundación Dinópolis paleontologists describe Europe's most complete stegosaur skull
9 articles · Updated · SciTechDaily · May 4
The 150-million-year-old Dacentrurus armatus fossil was found at Riodeva in Teruel, Spain, and preserves rare rear skull bones plus a neck vertebra.
Researchers said the specimen reveals a previously unknown supraoccipital shape, possibly linked to the dinosaur's long neck, and used 115 traits across 30 fossil groups to propose Neostegosauria.
Published in Vertebrate Zoology, the study revises stegosaur relationships across Europe, Africa, North America, Asia and Argentina, while the Riodeva site still holds about 200 fossils under study.
Could the discovery of this complete stegosaur skull rewrite what we know about dinosaur evolution and the diversity of European stegosaurs?
How might resolving the origins of ornithischian dinosaurs with new fossils like Dacentrurus armatus shift our understanding of the earliest dinosaurs?
With ongoing finds at Riodeva, what secrets about Jurassic life and dinosaur relationships could the next unearthed fossils reveal?
Exceptional Riodeva Fossil Reveals Key Anatomical Features and Extends Stegosaur Diversity Across Continents
Overview
In 2025, paleontologists discovered the most complete stegosaurian skull ever found in Europe at the Riodeva site in Spain. This exceptional fossil revealed a unique backward tilt of the supraoccipital bone, indicating adaptations for supporting heavy plates and tail weapons. The detailed study of this skull led to the proposal of a new evolutionary group, Neostegosauria, which extended the known range of derived stegosaurs across multiple continents and into the Early Cretaceous. The discovery also elevated the international profile of the Teruel region and continues to inspire ongoing excavations that provide valuable insights into stegosaur growth and evolution.