Portugal: Scientists unearth remains of large dinosaur skeleton

Fragments of the remains were first found in a backyard during construction work. Paleontologists say it may be the largest dinosaur skeleton ever found in Europe.

Scientists believe the skeleton belonged to a sauropod

Researchers at the University of Lisbon said on Monday a fossilized skeleton unearthed in a backyard could be the largest dinosaur ever found in Europe.

In 2017, a property owner in the central Portuguese city of Pombal was digging up in his garden to make way for expansion when he discovered fossilized fragments from the dinosaur.

The property owner contacted paleontologists, who took to the backyard and uncovered a rib about three meters long at the beginning of this month. 

The excavation work at the Monte Agudo fossil site in Pombal is likely to continue

What do we know about the unearthed remains? 

"It's one of the biggest specimens discovered in Europe, perhaps in the world," paleontologist Elisabete Malafaia, from the Faculty of Sciences at Lisbon University, told the AFP news agency on Monday.

According to the faculty, the dinosaur was possibly about 25 meters (82 feet) long and 12 meters tall and lived around 145 million years ago, during the Upper Jurassic period.

The scientists said the skeleton likely belonged to a sauropod. The plant-eating, four-legged species is characterized by long necks and tails.