Oldest turiasaurian dinosaur fossils discovered in Morocco’s Middle Atlas Mountains
Scientists have uncovered three fossilized dinosaur teeth in Morocco’s Middle Atlas Mountains, marking the oldest evidence of turiasaurian sauropods in mainland Africa. The discovery, made in the Middle Jurassic El Mers III Formation near Boulemane, dates back approximately 168 million years. This groundbreaking find sheds light on the distribution and evolution of massive, long-necked plant-eating dinosaurs during the Jurassic period.
Ancient giants of Laurasia and Gondwana
The teeth, characterized by their distinctive “heart”-shaped crowns and large, spatulate form, were identified as belonging to the Turiasauria, a group of non-neosauropodan eusauropods. These dinosaurs thrived across both northern Laurasia and southern Gondwana, ancient supercontinents that existed during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
“This discovery represents the first definitive evidence of turiasaurians in Morocco and the geologically oldest occurrence of Turiasauria in mainland Africa,” the researchers noted in their paper, published in Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.
The fossils were analyzed by an international research team led by D. Cary Woodruff from the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science in Miami, with contributions from Morocco’s Université Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah in Fez.
A closer look at the teeth
The teeth were surface-collected from a site in the Boulahfa Plain, an area known for its erosive badlands and frequent flash flooding, which expose ancient sediments. Nicknamed “Big Flood Quarry,” the site has yielded numerous dinosaur fossils over the years.
While the teeth bear similarities to those of Turiasaurus riodevensis, a Late Jurassic species from Spain, they exhibit unique features. Unlike their Spanish counterparts, the Moroccan teeth lack rounded denticles and feature a peaked apex with a flared margin. These distinctions led the researchers to classify the specimens as “Turiasauria indeterminate,” avoiding assignment to a specific species.
The team also ruled out linking the teeth to Cetiosaurus mogrebiensis, a previously described but dubious sauropod taxon from the same formation that lacks preserved dental evidence.
Morocco’s growing paleontological significance
This discovery adds to the El Mers III Formation’s reputation as a critical site for understanding Middle Jurassic dinosaur diversity. The same region has previously yielded fossils of Spicomellus afer (the world’s oldest ankylosaur), early stegosaurs such as Adratiklit boulahfa and Thyreosaurus atlasicus, and the earliest known cerapodan ornithischian.
“The El Mers III Formation is increasingly important for understanding the diversification of dinosaurs during the Middle Jurassic,” the researchers explained. These fossils provide insights into how dinosaurs adapted following global environmental changes at the end of the Early Jurassic.
Expanding the turiasaurian range
The Moroccan teeth expand the known geographic range of turiasaurians during the Middle Jurassic, joining other finds from Madagascar and possibly Denmark. The wide distribution of these dinosaurs by the Bathonian stage (168-166 million years ago) suggests they were highly adaptable and capable of thriving in varied environments.
Given the scarcity of Middle Jurassic terrestrial fossils worldwide, the El Mers III Formation has become a critical resource for paleontologists seeking to understand the ecosystems that preceded the iconic dinosaur faunas of the Late Jurassic.
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