Open Paleo

Europatitan

Torcida Fernández-Baldor et al., 2017 yoo-ROW-pah-TIE-tuhn

From 'Europa' (Europe), referring to its discovery in Iberia, combined with Greek 'titan' meaning 'giant', meaning 'European giant'.

125.8–113.2 million years ago Barremian–Aptian, Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous stages

Europatitan is an extinct genus of somphospondylan sauropod from the Early Cretaceous Castrillo de la Reina Formation of Iberia, known from a relatively complete specimen discovered in the early 2000s. It contains a single species: the type species, Europatitan eastwoodi.

Diagnosis

  1. Posterior cervical vertebrae with a parapophysis bearing a triradiate laminar structure in its dorsal part dividing the lateral pneumatic fossa.
  2. Middle and posterior dorsal vertebrae with a horizontal intrapostzygapophyseal lamina (tpol) positioned dorsal to the hyposphene.
  3. Middle and posterior dorsal vertebrae with centroprezygapophyseal lamina joined laterally to two accessory laminae delimiting pneumatic cavities, partially subdividing the centroprezygapophyseal parapophyseal fossa.
  4. Middle and posterior dorsal vertebrae in which the centropostzygapophyseal laminae reach the lateroventral margin of the hyposphene and are forked at their ventral end.
  5. Dorsal area of the deltoid crest of the scapula with a sub-elliptical rugose process accompanied ventrally by a rugose flat area and a pronounced groove.
  6. On the dorsal margin of the scapular blade approximately at mid-length, a rugose tubercle with two projections separated by a semicircular depressed area.

Species

Europatitan eastwoodi Torcida Fernández-Baldor et al., 2017

Type species

Named for actor and director Clint Eastwood, whose film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was shot near Salas de los Infantes, Spain, close to where the holotype was found.

Holotype
MDS-OTII,1 , Museo de Dinosaurios de Salas de los Infantes
Material
One tooth, five cervical, one dorsal, and nine caudal vertebrae, 11 cervical and five dorsal ribs, seven hemal arches, both scapulae, left coracoid, left metacarpals I and III, both pubes, and both ischia
Horizon
Castrillo de la Reina Formation, Barremian–Aptian, Early Cretaceous , 125.8–113.2 million years ago
Locality
El Oterillo II, Burgos, Spain

References

  1. Torcida Fernández-Baldor, F.; Canudo, J. I.; Huerta, P.; Moreno-Azanza, M.; Montero, D. (2017). Europatitan eastwoodi, a new sauropod from the lower Cretaceous of Iberia in the initial radiation of somphospondylans in Laurasia. PeerJ 5: e3409. PeerJ. doi:10.7717/peerj.3409

    Places the holotype at El Oterillo II in the province of Burgos.

    torcidafernández-baldor2017a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Sauropods. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the hip height estimate.

    jones2026b