Femur found in quarry

A femur measuring 2.20 meters was extracted from a quarry in Angeac-Charente. This is the length of a human femur that is more than twice as long as an average adult’s, suggesting it belonged to an extremely large animal.

Sauropod size estimates

The sauropod is estimated to have been approximately 40 meters long and 50 tons in weight. For context, this is longer than three buses connected end to end and as heavy as ten adult African elephants.

Site environment

The site was a subtropical marsh inhabited by crocodiles, turtles, and fish. Researchers describe it as similar to the bayous of the southern United States, with a stream running through it and large conifers surrounding the area.

Discovery of the vertebra

It all started with a single vertebra. In the summer of 2008, quarry workers found an unusual bone, which specialists later identified as a sauropod dinosaur vertebra, four times larger than that of a mammoth.

Excavation of the femur

The bones themselves only appeared in January 2010. Under the clay, excavators uncovered a sauropod femur measuring 2.20 meters, which would surpass a human’s height by about 40 centimeters.

Handling large bones

A bone of this size does not lift like a pebble. It is generally wrapped in a plaster cast before being removed from the ground, as large pieces tend to collapse and fragment, according to paleontologist Ronan Allain.

Additional femur found

The first femur was not the only one. Excavators also uncovered the base of a second femur, a piece approximately 25% larger than the 2.20-meter one.

Estimating the animal's size

From these bones, researchers estimated the size of the animal: approximately 40 meters long and around 50 tons. These figures remain estimates, based on parts of the animal and not on a complete skeleton.

Ongoing excavations

Excavations continue every summer, with about 40 people bringing together volunteers, students, and professionals. In 2019, an excavator uncovered another femur over 2 meters in length.

Exhibition on sauropods

The Angoulême museum dedicated an exhibition to these dinosaurs titled Dinosaures, les géants du vignoble, presented from May 20 to December 31, 2017.