Brazil fossil of giant dinosaur reveals continents were connected 120 million years ago

Brazilian scientists in a recent breakthrough have revealed a new species of giant dinosaur, the biggest one found in the South American country.

Named Dasosaurus tocantinensis, the recently discovered species also shared significant revolutionary ties with a similar dinosaur, Garumbatitan morellensis, from Spain.

The dinosaur’s name honors the nearby Tocantins River, which flows along the western edge of the fossil site.

The discovery published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, provides fresh evidence of prehistoric land bridges between South America, Africa, and Europe.

The fossils were found in 2021 at a site hosting infrastructure works near Davinopolis, in Brazil’s northeastern state of Maranhao.

The study of fossils, which is led by Elver Mayer of the Federal University of the Sao Francisco Valley, includes a femur measuring about 1.5 meters, giving the estimation of animal’s length .

According to the researchers, the species could be 20 meters long.

"As the excavation progressed over the days, we ​began to see the evidence of that huge bone, which is the femur," ‌said ⁠Leonardo Kerber, a palaeontologist at the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) who contributed to the research.

"This indicates it was a very large dinosaur. Today we know Dasosaurus is among the biggest dinosaurs ever ​found in Brazil," Kerber noted.

These findings reinforce the theory that these continents remained connected by land routes roughly 120 million years ago. Owing to interconnectedness of lands, the European dinosaur lineage may have dispersed into South America roughly 130 million years ago through northern Africa.