Presence of horned dinosaurs in Europe confirmed by study that included University of Bucharest
A new study published in the prestigious journal Nature in collaboration with a researcher from the University of Bucharest has proven that ceratopsians, the so-called “horned dinosaurs” belonging to the Late Cretaceous period, actually reached Europe.
The study was carried out by a team of researchers coordinated by prof. Susannah Maidment from the Natural History Museum in London, together with specialists from prestigious research institutions in the United Kingdom, Hungary, Germany, and Romania, including associate professor dr. Zoltán Csiki-Sava, researcher and faculty member at the Faculty of Geology and Geophysics of the University of Bucharest.
Until now, it was thought that ceratopsians never reached Europe. The new investigations indicate that European Cretaceous fauna was much more diverse than previously thought, and fossils from Romania and Hungary provide evidence that ceratopsian dinosaurs were present in the region.
The study opened a new perspective on how the European continent functioned in the geological past as a space of evolution and interconnection for different groups of dinosaurs.
“These results fundamentally change the way we understand the evolution of Cretaceous fauna in Europe. The fossils discovered, including those from the UNESCO International Geopark Țara Hațegului, show that ceratopsian dinosaurs not only reached the former European archipelago but also evolved their own forms here, adapted to an insular environment,” stated Dr. Zoltán Csiki-Sava.
The findings suggest that fossils previously considered to be rhabdodontidae, a group recognized as common in Europe, actually belong to atypical "horned dinosaurs," and Europe may even have represented an important corridor in the dispersal of these animals between Asia and North America.
The fossils from the UNESCO International Geopark Țara Hațegului, one of the most valuable paleontological territories globally, played a crucial role in this discovery, according to a press release from the institution.
Based on fossil materials from the Sînpetru Formation, located in the southern part of the Hațeg Basin, researchers defined a new genus of dinosaur, Ferenceratops shqiperorum, a species of primitive ceratopsian. Its name honors the contribution of Baron Franz (Ferenc) Nopcsa, a pioneer of paleontological research in Țara Hațegului and one of the most influential paleontologists of the early 20th century.
The results of the study of fossils from Romania complement data provided by recent important discoveries from the Upper Cretaceous of Hungary, where cranial elements belonging to the species Ajkaceratops kozmai, a “horned dinosaur” with until recently contested affinities, were identified. The newly discovered skull remains unequivocally confirm the belonging of this species to the ceratopsian group.
“Horned dinosaurs, such as Triceratops, are among the most famous dinosaurs, but most species in this group come from North America. Now we find them in Europe as well, where they have been hiding in plain sight, having been confused for decades with representatives of other dinosaur groups,” said prof. dr. Steve Brusatte, co-author of the study.
(Photo source: University of Bucharest website)
