Major Discovery in Morocco: Fossilized Teeth Reveal Presence of Giant Dinosaurs from the Middle Jurassic
Exciting Discovery: Fossilized Dinosaur Teeth Found in Morocco
Recent discoveries by Moroccan and international paleontologists have unveiled three fossilized teeth from giant dinosaurs near Boulemane, in the Middle Atlas region. Dating back to the Bathonian stage of the Jurassic period—approximately 168 to 166 million years ago—this exciting find was published on August 7, 2025, in the prestigious scientific journal, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. The discovery offers fresh insights into the evolution and geographical distribution of herbivorous dinosaurs during this pivotal period in Earth’s history.
The teeth were uncovered in the El Mers III geological formation within the Boulahfa plain, a globally recognized site known for its rich Jurassic fossil fauna. This marks the first definitive evidence of the existence of Turiasauria—a group of large herbivorous dinosaurs related to sauropods—on the African continent, and the first confirmed occurrence in Morocco.
Turiasauria are particularly distinguished by their wide, flattened, heart-shaped teeth. The Moroccan specimens exhibit these distinctive features, although they differ from their European counterparts, such as Turiasaurus riodevensis, discovered in Spain. Due to insufficient material for precise genus identification, researchers have cautiously classified them as indeterminate Turiasauria.
The excavation site, nicknamed "Big Flood Quarry," is periodically affected by sudden floods that temporarily expose fossil layers before they are once again covered. The recovered teeth were gathered from the surface, while other bones remain buried under several meters of sediment.
In recent years, this same geological formation has yielded several major paleontological discoveries:
- Spicomellus afer, the oldest known ankylosaur and the first to be described in Africa,
- Stegosaurs Adratiklit boulahfa and Thyreosaurus atlasicus,
- As well as the oldest known ornithischian ceratopsian to date.
These findings reaffirm the central role of the Middle Atlas in the study of the evolution of large dinosaurs during the Jurassic.
The study also sheds light on the geographical distribution of Turiasauria, already identified in Madagascar, Tanzania, and Northern Europe, bolstering the notion of intercontinental dispersal of this group between the ancient supercontinents Laurasia and Gondwana. This new milestone places Morocco at the heart of the great migrations of giant herbivorous dinosaurs, confirming its prominent standing on the global paleontological map.
