The Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis Foundation has identified more than one hundred pterosaur fossils at the «El Pozo» site in El Castellar, Teruel. This discovery makes the location one of the most significant records of these flying reptiles on the Iberian Peninsula, notable for the quantity and quality of the remains found.
A Paleontologically Relevant Site
The «El Pozo» site was already known for housing nearly 1,000 dinosaur footprints, but now it adds a new attraction with the discovery of pterosaur fossils. These flying reptiles dominated the skies during the Mesozoic Era, developing powered flight before birds and bats. Among the found remains are fragments of jaw, vertebrae, humerus, wing phalanges, and scapula-coracoid, all in a remarkable concentration within a small area.
The fragility of these hollow and light bones highlights the exceptional nature of the discovery, positioning «El Pozo» as a site of great interest for paleontology, particularly in the context of the Late Jurassic on the Iberian Peninsula.
Scientific Contributions and International Projection
The finding in El Castellar is significant given the scarce record of Late Jurassic pterosaurs on the peninsula. The fossils, dated at approximately 145-150 million years old, represent the first solid evidence of pterosaurs in the central-east of the peninsula. Some of these remains have been assigned to the pterodactyloid group and were presented at the Paleo-NE 2025/7th IMERP congress in Brazil.
The study titled «First Late Jurassic pterodactyloid remains from eastern Iberia (Teruel, Spain)» was led by Borja Holgado and included contributions from Sergio Sánchez Fenollosa, Josué García Cobeña, Ana González, and Alberto Cobos. This research underscores the importance of the site for understanding pterosaurs in the region.
Financial Support and Future Research
The excavations and studies at «El Pozo» are part of the Research Group E04-23R FOCONTUR, funded by the Government of Aragon and supported by the PID2024-162804NB-I00 project through the MICIU/AEI/FEDER. They also receive backing from the project on paleontological sites in Teruel, subsidized by the governments of Spain and Aragon through the Teruel Investment Fund.
The site, declared a Cultural Interest Asset by the Government of Aragon in 2004, continues to be a focal point for future research that promises to deepen the understanding of Late Jurassic fauna in the region.
