Damien Boschetto (left) holds bones from his dinosaur discovery with a member of the archaeological team ( Credit: Damien Boschetto/ CC-BY-SA-2.0)

About two years ago, Damien Boschetto was walking his dog in a forest near Cruzy in southern France when he noticed a large bone poking out from an eroded cliff. Suspecting it might belong to a dinosaur, the amateur paleontologist quickly alerted experts at the Cruzy Museum. His hunch was correct: the fossil turned out to be the pelvic bone of a titanosaur, one of the largest dinosaurs ever to roam Earth.

The site excavation, which ended in March 2024, uncovered much more than a single hip bone. The paleontologists unearthed nearly 70 percent of the ancient giant's skeleton, with the bones from the back of its head to its tail still connected. Only the femur and skull are missing, but the scientists hope to find them in future digs.

Archeologiists transport a titanosaur bone found at the site (Credit: Damien Boschetto/ CC-BY-SA-2.0)

Titanosaur fossils are relatively common in Europe. However, it is rare to find an almost complete specimen. The researchers suspect that the 32.8-foot (10-meter) long dinosaur was buried shortly after it died. This stopped its body from completely decomposing, leaving some tissue connecting the bones.

“This is a rare and exceptional discovery in France and Europe,” said Boschetto, who worked with the archaeological team to unearth the fossil. “On the day we saw that it was an almost completely connected dinosaur, the excitement was at its highest.”

Titanosaurs were a group of massive, long-necked, herbivorous dinosaurs from the sauropod family. They roamed Earth about 150 to 66 million years ago. Some species of titanosaurs, such as Argentinosaurus and Patagotitan, are believed to be the largest land animals that ever lived. These ancient giants reached lengths of up to 100 feet (30 meters) and weighed as much as 200,000 pounds (90,700 kg).


The titanosaur skeleton is 70 percent complete ( Credit:Damien Boschetto/ CC-BY-SA-2.0)

There are around 40 known species of titanosaurs. The scientists are still trying to identify the species of the newly discovered specimen. They also have yet to determine the dinosaur's age at the time of its death. Once their investigation is complete, the fossil will be displayed at the Cruzy Museum.

Resources: Washingtonpost.com, zmescience.com, CNN.com