Europasaurus

Europasaurus was a remarkably small sauropod from the Late Jurassic of northern Germany. Found in a quarry near Goslar, numerous articulated and disarticulated bones representing individuals of varying growth stages were recovered. While most sauropods grew to enormous sizes, adult Europasaurus reached only about six metres in length and weighed less than a tonne. Bone histology confirmed that these were not juveniles of a larger species but fully grown adults exhibiting dwarfism. During the Kimmeridgian, northern Germany was an archipelago of islands with limited land area and resources, creating evolutionary pressure for smaller body sizes. Europasaurus represents a basal macronarian closely allied to the ancestors of brachiosaurids.

It is a textbook case of insular dwarfism, evolving to be tiny compared to its giant mainland relatives.

Where and when

Europasaurus lived in the Late Jurassic, from 154.8 to 150.8 million years ago (Kimmeridgian age). Its remains come from Germany, in the Süntel Formation.

The numbers

Length 4.6 m (estimates run from 3 to 6.2 m). Mass about 710 kg. Hip height about 1.5 m. That is 2.7 human-lengths, or 0.41 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from partial skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, hip height.

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