The dinosaurs of the Maestrat Basin: Evolution of hadrosauriforms in the eastern Iberian Peninsula

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.14.24534

Keywords:

Ornithopoda, Dinosauria, Laurasia, Lower Cretaceous, Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

The Maestrat Basin, in the Iberian Range, has proved to be a key point for the study of the hadrosauriform dinosaurs of the Lower Cretaceous in Europe. The Aliaga, Galve, and Morella sub-basins have all yielded abundant fossils of Mesozoic vertebrates, among which dinosaurs, and especially hadrosauriform styracosternan ornithopods, are the most abundant group from these areas. In this article, we review recent findings in the Maestrat Basin, which suggest that the diversity of this clade during the Barremian–Albian interval was greater than originally thought, providing us with valuable information for the study and understanding of the evolution of these dinosaurs.

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Author Biography

Andrés Santos Cubedo, Universitat Jaume I (Spain).

Researcher in the Area of Crystallography and Mineralogy in the Department of Biology, Biochemistry, and Natural Sciences at the Universitat Jaume I (Spain). He has a degree in Geological Sciences from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and is the director of the Bejís Museum, the Cinctorres Palaeontological Collection, and Portell, Terra de Dinosaures. As a palaeontologist, his research activity focuses on the fossil sites in the province of Castellon (Spain) and their relationship with other European animals. He has directed several excavations in the Valencian Community, Catalonia, and Aragon, and has published scientific articles in national and international journals on fossil sites such as those of Almenara-Casablanca (Castellon), Orce (Granada), or Dmanisi (Georgia), as well as the dinosaur sites in the region of Els Ports (Castellon). In the world of popular science, he has co-authored books including Dinosaurs of Eastern Iberia (Indiana University Press, 2011), Vertebrados mesozoicos en la provincia de Castellón ('Mesozoic vertebrates in the province of Castellon', Loisele Ediciones, 2016), and Dinosaures d’Ana, Cinctorres ('The dinosaurs of Ana, Cinctorres', Loisele Ediciones, 2019), as well as several articles, videos, and booklets. He holds several postgraduate degrees, a master’s degree in Cultural Management, and another master’s degree in Museography and Participatory Environments, which have allowed him to curate different geological and palaeontological exhibitions.

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Published

2024-01-11

How to Cite

Santos Cubedo, A. (2024). The dinosaurs of the Maestrat Basin: Evolution of hadrosauriforms in the eastern Iberian Peninsula. Metode Science Studies Journal, (14), 57–63. https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.14.24534
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Pieces of science (vol. 14, 2024)

Section

The legacy of the dinosaurs

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