06-09-2013
Every year, the Faculty of Science and Technology UNL and the Museum of Lourinhã join in campaigns of Mesozoic excavations through paleontologist Octavio Mateus, professor in the School of Science and Technology UNL, which in the last year and a half participated or co-organized expeditions and excavations in Greenland, Angola, Morocco and of course Portugal.
Ended last week another summer campaign which traditionally focuses its excavations this time of year, the outcrops of the Upper Jurassic of Lourinhã, with about 150 million years ago, with the local museum.
This year's results included footprints and bones, highlighted by a samll carnivorous dinosaur, with less than two meters long. This dinosaur skeleton is not complete, but is very well preserved and articulated (with the bones in the anatomical position, as in life), which is very rare. Preliminary analysis indicates that this could be a representative of a group of carnivorous dinosaurs rare in Portugal, the coelurosaurs.
The campaign, which included excavation, prospection, and laboratory work was coordinated by paleontologist Octavio Mateus and gathered about a dozen volunteers who collaborate regularly with GEAL - Museum of Lourinhã and students of the Master in Paleontology of the FCT-UNL.
Were collected footprints of sauropod dinosaurs, pterosaurs and ornithopods. One of the sauropod footprints, with 120 cm long, is one of the largest ever measured. Also found small fossils, among which the jaw of a mammal, which is also rare.
