Researchers identify new 20-metre sauropod Dasosaurus tocantinensis in Brazil
Updated
Updated · The Brighter Side of News · May 8
Researchers identify new 20-metre sauropod Dasosaurus tocantinensis in Brazil
5 articles · Updated · The Brighter Side of News · May 8
The 120-million-year-old fossil was found eight metres deep at a road-rail terminal in Davinópolis, Maranhão, and includes a 1.5-metre femur and other limb, rib and tail bones.
Analysis linked the dinosaur most closely to Spain's Garumbatitan, supporting a Europe-Africa-South America dispersal route during the Early Cretaceous when land connections still allowed migration.
Researchers say it is Maranhão's largest known dinosaur and that bone tissues show adult growth patterns and early titanosaur-like remodeling; more remains may still lie underground as excavation talks continue.
Brazil’s biggest dinosaur was found by a construction crew. Can development and fossil discovery ever truly coexist?
How did a Spanish dinosaur's closest relative end up in Brazil, rewriting the map of the ancient world?
Discovery of Dasosaurus tocantinensis: A 20-Meter Brazilian Sauropod Sheds Light on Early Cretaceous Dinosaur Dispersal and Gigantism
Overview
The discovery of Dasosaurus tocantinensis began with excavation work near Davinópolis, Maranhão state, Brazil, where its fossil was found in 2021. This remarkable find was later formally described in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, confirming it as one of Brazil's largest known dinosaur species. The addition of Dasosaurus tocantinensis to the roster of Brazilian dinosaurs provides important insights into the diversity and scale of ancient ecosystems in the region. Today, its fossilized remains are preserved and displayed at the Maranhão Center for Natural History and Archaeology in São Luís, supporting ongoing research and public education.