MADRID(National Times)- 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, 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.

Alberto Cobos, managing director of the Dinopolis Foundation and a co-author of the study, said the specimen likely measured 25 metres in length.