Ammon News - Spanish paleontologists say they have found the first evidence that Diplodocus, the iconic long-necked dinosaur, once roamed Europe, according to research published on Tuesday in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Researchers from the Dinopolis Foundation in Teruel in eastern Spain recovered fossils comprising 14 caudal vertebrae and several chevron bones of one specimen ⁠from sediments dating back ⁠around 150 million years.

"The anatomical study and evolutionary analyses we conducted have allowed us to identify the El Castellar specimen as belonging to the genus ⁠Diplodocus. It is one of the most complete diplodocids discovered to date in Europe and represents the first evidence of this genus outside North America," lead author Sergio Sanchez Fenollosa wrote, according to Reuters.

Alberto Cobos, managing director of the Dinopolis Foundation and a co-author of the study, said the ⁠specimen ⁠likely measured around 25 meters (82 feet) in length. It joins a growing list of giant Jurassic sauropods found in the Teruel area.

First identified from fossils found in Wyoming in 1877, the herbivorous Diplodocus, known for its long neck, whip-like tail and four sturdy legs, is among the world's most recognizable dinosaurs.