Previously unknown species of dinosaur identified in south-western Germany

Ingmar Werneburg ( left ) and Omar Rafael Regalado Fernandez ( right ) hold a femur from Tuebingosaurus maierfritzorum. When they re-analyzed a skeleton that was discovered in Trossingen in 1922, consisting mainly of the rear of the body, Regalado Fernandez and Werneburg established that many of the bones were not the same as a typical Plateosaurus . For instance, the partial skeleton displayed, among other derived characters, broader and more strongly-built hips with fused sacral vertebrae as well as unusually large and robust long bones - both features implied locomotion on four legs. This is unlike the Plateosauridae, which although resembling the long-necked sauropods from the Jura region likely moved on only two legs. Following in-depth comparison of all anatomical characteristics, the scientists recategorized the partial skeleton from Trossingen in the dinosaur tree of life and established that they had discovered a previously unknown species and genus. It is highly probable that Tuebingosaurus maierfritzorum was a quadruped and accordingly far more closely related to the later large sauropods such as Brachiosaurus or Diplodocus than with the Plateosauridae. The surrounding sedimentary rock and the preservation of the bones indicate that this Tuebingosaurus had sunk into a swamp and died.