Reacción a "What is believed to be the first diplodocus found outside North America has been discovered in Teruel"

Is the research of good quality?

“Yes, the research is of high quality. It is well executed and adheres to international standards.”

How does it fit in with the existing evidence?

“It fits in well. In fact, the similarity between the Jurassic dinosaur faunas of Portugal and the United States has been noted since the 1950s. Furthermore, the presence of Diplodocus itself in Portugal has been suggested on several occasions, although never formally published. It is therefore not surprising that a species of Diplodocus, or a closely related genus, inhabited what is now Spanish territory towards the end of the Late Jurassic.

The only point which, in my view, warrants clarification is that the material collected (14 caudal vertebrae and some chevrons) is not, for the time being, sufficient to state with certainty that it belongs to Diplodocus. The fact that the material is compatible with this genus does not imply that it belongs to it. Further field surveys, both in Spain and Portugal, as well as the formal publication of fossils already discovered, would enable us to improve our understanding of the sauropod fauna of the Upper Jurassic in the Iberian Peninsula and confirm (or otherwise) that the sauropod from El Castellar is Diplodocus, and not Supersaurus/Dinheirosaurus, another known genus or even a new one.”