Europasaurus

Lore & Background

The first fossil, a single sauropod tooth, was discovered in 1998 by private collector Holger Lüdtke in an active quarry at Langenberg Mountain, between Oker, Harlingerode and Göttingerode in Germany. The quarry had been active for more than a century, exposing a nearly continuous 203 m thick succession of carbonate rocks of the Süntel Formation. After more fossil material was found, excavation of the bone-bearing layer commenced in April 1999, conducted by a local association of private fossil collectors. The sauropod material could not be excavated directly from the near-vertical layer but had to be collected from loose blocks resulting from blasting. An excavation between July 20 and 28, 2000, rescued about 50 tons of bone-bearing blocks. Fossils were prepared and stored in the Dinosaur Park Münchehagen (DFMMh). By January 2001, 200 single vertebrate bones had been prepared. By January 2002, preparation of a large block revealed a partial sauropod skull – the first to be discovered in Europe. Part of the material was damaged or destroyed by arson fire on the night of 4–5 October 2003, which destroyed the laboratory and exhibition hall, resulting in the loss of 106 bones (15% of those prepared). In 2006, the new taxon was formally described as *Europasaurus holgeri*, named for Holger Lüdtke. A large-scale excavation campaign in summer 2012 and spring/summer 2013 removed about 600 tons of rock but located no additional *Europasaurus* bones. By 2014, around 1,300 vertebrate bones had been prepared from bed 83, the majority from *Europasaurus*, with an estimated 3,000 additional bones awaiting preparation. A minimum number of 20 individuals was identified based on jaw bones.

Reader's Guide

*Europasaurus* is significant as a clear example of insular dwarfism in sauropods, demonstrating how isolation on an island within the Lower Saxony basin led to a dramatic reduction in body size compared to mainland relatives. Its discovery also provided the first sauropod skull from Europe, and the fossils were preserved in marine sediments deposited in a shallow sea less than 30 m deep, indicating that the carcasses were transported into the sea. The material includes at least 20 individuals, with a minimum number identified from jaw bones. The holotype (DFMMh/FV 291) is a disarticulated but associated individual including multiple cranial bones, a partial braincase, mandible bones, teeth, cervical vertebrae, sacral vertebrae, and ribs. At least 10 other individuals were referred to the same taxon. The quarry layers are oriented nearly vertically and slightly overturned due to the ascent of the Harz mountains during the Lower Cretaceous. Despite the loss of 106 bones in the 2003 arson fire, the collection remains one of the most important for studying dwarfed sauropods and the paleobiogeography of the Late Jurassic European archipelago.

Did You Know?

• The first sauropod tooth was discovered in 1998 by private fossil collector Holger Lüdtke in an active quarry at Langenberg Mountain.
• Part of the *Europasaurus* fossil material was damaged or destroyed by arson fire on the night of 4–5 October 2003, resulting in the loss of 106 bones.
• The quarry exposes a nearly continuous 203 m thick succession of carbonate rocks of the Süntel Formation, deposited in a shallow sea less than 30 m deep.
• By 2014, around 1,300 vertebrate bones had been prepared from bed 83, with an estimated 3,000 additional bones awaiting preparation.
• A minimum number of 20 individuals was identified based on jaw bones.