Romania hides one of the most bizarre lost worlds of prehistory: a Cretaceous island, populated by dwarf dinosaurs, whose fossils have amazed the international scientific world. At least ten species were discovered in the country of Hațeg, some becoming “stars” of Paleontology.
Dwarf dinosaur. Source: UNESCO International Geopark The Hațeg Country
A land from western Romania has attracted the attention of scientists from all over the world, due to the fossils of dwarf dinosaurs. Discover Wild Science has reported on the true “lost world” – that of dwarf dinosaurs in the country of Hațeg, the place where they once lived dinosaurs, but not the giants we usually think about.
The island of dwarf dinosaurs
70-80 million years ago, notes the publication, here there is a world populated by miniature predators and tiny titans – low versions of ancient Bests, who were living on a mysterious island, isolated from the rest of the world.
“Hidden in the heart of Transylvania, the country of Hațeg may seem, at first glance, an ordinary place-gentle hills, quiet valleys and sleeping villages. But, under this peaceful facade, there is a fossiliferous treasure dating from 70-80 million years ago. Surrounded by shallow and stretched seas. writes journalist Trizzy Orozco in an article published in DiscoverworldScience.com.
The fossils discovered here are not just talking about dinosaurs – they reveal the amazing way in which life adapts in the most unusual conditions. One of the most fascinating aspects of dinosaurs whose fossils were discovered in the country of Hațeg (Video – Truth) is their size.
“Compared to their relatives on the continent, the dinosaurs in Hațeg were simply dwarf. This phenomenon, known as island nanism, occurs when large species evolve into smaller forms throughout generations, usually due to limited resources and isolated habitats. It is the same process that has led to the pit. In this case, it happened with dinosaurs ”the publication shows.
Scientists believe that the lack of food and intense competition on the island have forced the dinosaurs to “resize”, transforming the country of Hațeg into a true show of the adaptability of evolution.
The stars of the prehistoric island
Among the most famous inhabitants of Hațeg’s country were Magyarosaurus, an orropod dinosaur who would have seemed tiny with his huge summer, such as Brachiosaurus.
Reptile with a headed head photo The UNESCO Hațeg Country International Geopark.
“While the majority of the Sauropos reached lengths of over 20 meters, Magyarosaurus only reached six meters. His bones show clear signs of maturity at this small dimension, which confirms that he was not a chicken, but an adult,” writes Trizzy Orozco.
But not all dwarf dinosaurs were gentle and friendly, like prehistoric pet. Balaur Bondoc, a predator on Hațeg Island, was as fierce as his bigger relatives – only in the compact version.
Magyarosaurus at Sălașu de Sus PHOTO UNESCO International Geopark Hațegului
“The dragon had a bizarre anatomy: short and muscular legs, and two rear-shaped claws, a unique feature among the kidnapping dinosaurs. Some paleontologists have even nicknamed the” Dragon with two claws “, and not for no reason. Even if it was no bigger than a steroid turkey, the dragon would have been a redoubtable hunter, ready to jump on any life that came in through the frequent forests of the island ”writes the journalist.
Zalmoxes was another notable tenant of the Hațeg basin, part of a group of herbivorous dinosaurs called ornithopods. Unlike the huge Hadrosauri from North America, Zalmoxes was small, agile and perfectly adapted to the island life.
“The fossils discovered suggest that it was about the size of a large dog – so much smaller than its continental relatives. This size reduction was not accidental: it helped to survive the limited vegetation of the island and not to become an easy snack for predators as a Balaur Bondoc. Practically, Zalmoxes is the perfect example of how the Ecosystem is forced to take. Reinvent – smaller, more sprinting, harder to catch. shows discoverscience.
Bondoc dragon. Source: UNESCO International Geopark The Hațeg Country
The dinosaurs in Hațeg Country are a spectacular example, with prehistoric, natural force that shapes life: when you are isolated on an island, it doesn’t matter how big you have been – it survives the one who knows how to do a lot.
In short: the evolution has a subtle and unforgettable way to produce the reduction, concludes the authors of the article.
Franz Nopcsa, the baron who discovered dwarf dinosaurs
Hațegului Country, the land of Hunedoara county surrounded by the Retezat Mountains, Ţarcu, Șureanu and Poiana Ruscă, impress their guests with the medieval stone churches, with the ruins of the ancient capital Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, but also with the numerous castles and cities of Transylvania. Above them watches the imposing Retezat, the place of the oldest nature scientific reserve in Romania, founded in 1935.
For several years, together with these “classic” tourist attractions, they have made room in the preferences of the visitors and those reminiscent of a fascinating and older realm than any church or fortress: the world of dwarf dinosaurs.
The first fossils of dinosaurs in the country of Hațeg were discovered at the end of the 19th century by Franz Nightcsa (1877-1933), the baron of Hunedoara to revolutionize European Paleontology. With a remarkable intuition and an unusual passion, Nopcsa was among the first scientists who understood the importance of these discoveries.
At that time, the locals called them “bones of Urieși”, which they often found around the villages of Sânpetru, Vălăliara and Ciula Mare, at the foot of the Retezat, and some brought them to Franz Nopcsa’s Castle. Around them were woven numerous legends, the stories with Urieşi being part of the folklore of Hațegului.
But scientists had another theory. The species that lived about 66-67 million years ago in this area were called dwarf dinosaurs, because most did not exceed ten meters. The fauna of the prehistoric island included, in addition to dinosaurs, huge turtles and crocodiles.
“The limited food resources available in those times, in this part of Europe, led to the reduction of the body size of the animals”, Explains the paleontologist Felix Augustin, one of the researchers who studied the fossils in the area.
No less than ten species of dinosaurs, nests with dinosaur eggs, but also fossils of reptiles, birds and mammals living in those times were discovered on the territory at the foot of the Retezat, currently included in the UNESCO International Geopark.
The geopark was established in the early 2000s, under the coordination of the University in Bucharest, the institution that has been carrying out research activities in the area for four decades. Several tourist routes arranged leading to the places that have retained traces of the existence of dwarf dinosaurs in the country of Hațeg.
Several thematic tourist routes lead to the places where, millions of years ago, dwarf dinosaurs mastered the island of Hațeg. Today, those paths carry the curious through a rare geological and paleontological adventure, with legend, science and, why not, a little Transylvanian magic.
