IV Excavation Campaign in El Oterillo 2005
The Foundation for the Study of Dinosaurs of Castilla & Leon has ended. It was the IV Dinosaurs Excavation Campaign in the region. It started from 7 to 25 Julio 2005 and was organised by the Archaeological Team (C.A.S). It had the collaboration of the “Division Mecanizada Brunete nº 1 and Uré movil Mitsubishi Motors” and the Museum in Salas de los Infantes.
IV Campaña de Excavaciones
Participation Team.
25 people from a range of Biology and Geology university students from Salamanca, León, Zaragoza, País Vasco, Madrid and Alcalá de Henares.
The excavation in “El Oterillo” (situated between Barbadillo del Mercado, Pinilla de los Moros y la Revilla) started in 2004 with the main objective of rescuing the fossils that where found in a stream. The surprise came when two pubic and two isquions heap bones were discovered belonging to a Sauropodis dinosaur (a huge herbivores) and later with the discovery of seven vertebras caudles (from the tail) situated exactly as in the skeleton when it died.
Along these rests, they were gathered a large number of Teropodos dinosaurs teeth (meet eaters) from three different groups and sizes, from small to big ones.
The excavated area in this campaign 2004 was of about 25 m2. In 2005 the objective was to increase the ground with the hope to find more skeleton pieces such as the femur or scapula (shoulder bone).
Towards the end of this campaign, the excavated area was doubled, the density of the rests is big (the fossilized bones are piled up, there have been important findings from a scientific point of view, like a vertebra sacra, a two metres fibula, a 1, 65 meters scapula, (all from a Sauropodis dinosaur) and also dinosaurs carnivorous teeth spread throughout the site.
Other rests, in less quantity, correspond to dinosaur bones of small size and crocodile teeth. One thing is clear, this campaign is baring fruit and is being successful.
