VIDEO: New dinosaur discovery in Croatia could reveal a new species

An international team of scientists is recovering dinosaur bones from the seabed in Croatia, in what researchers describe as a unique underwater fossil site.

The remains, estimated to be around 130 million years old, were found near Bale in Istria, within the Datule–Barbariga palaeontological reserve, HRT reported.

American palaeontologist Matthew Lamanna has described the site as exceptionally important, saying the dinosaur being excavated is a new species.

The discovery is particularly significant because the bones are embedded in rock on the seabed, making the location unlike other known dinosaur fossil sites.

Palaeontologist Frano Vidaković described the animal as a large dinosaur with a long neck and tail, pillar-like legs and a diet consisting of vegetation growing high in trees.

The remains recovered so far include parts of the neck vertebrae, lumbar bones and ribs.

Lamanna explained that small structures known as trabeculae help scientists identify the material as fossilised bone rather than ordinary rock.

The bones lie at depths ranging from approximately 1.5 to six metres, requiring researchers to work underwater to recover and preserve them.

Palaeontologist and geologist Aleksandar Mezga said the site was unlike any other he had encountered, highlighting its international scientific importance.

Researchers hope further investigation will reveal additional remains and help establish more about the dinosaur’s anatomy and classification.

Dinosaur bones were first discovered in the area in 1993, by chance.

According to Andrea Deklić of Natura Histrica, a man named Boscariolli was collecting date mussels and breaking rocks to reach the shellfish when he came across a bone embedded in the rock.

His acquaintance, Italian palaeontologist Fabio Della Vecchia, helped recognise the significance of the find.

The discovery led to the identification of Histriosaurus boscariollii, a dinosaur associated with Istria. The newly investigated remains are believed to belong to a related but different species.

The Datule–Barbariga area was declared a special palaeontological reserve in 1994. It is recognised for its dinosaur fossils and its importance to research into the region’s prehistoric past.

The landscape that now forms Istria was in a very different geographical setting during the age of dinosaurs, with the landmass situated much farther south than it is today.

The new discovery could provide further insight into the region’s prehistoric environment and the dinosaurs that inhabited it.

Scientists believe more fossil material may remain embedded in the seabed.

Recovering and examining those remains could help determine how much of the animal’s skeleton has survived and provide further evidence about the species.