An 82-foot-tall skeleton was found in the backyard of a man in Portugal. It may be the greatest of all in Europe.

A huge dinosaur skeleton has been discovered in the backyard of a man in Pombal, Portugal, and it may be the largest ever found in Europe, according to A press release has been published Wednesday.

The press release said the owner noticed fossilized bone fragments in his yard when construction was underway in 2017 and contacted a research team that began an initial excavation that same year.

Earlier this month, paleontologists from Spain and Portugal worked at the site for more than a week and believe they discovered the remains of the largest sauropod dinosaur ever found on the continent, according to the statement. Sauropods are four-legged herbivorous dinosaurs with long necks and tails. This dinosaur was 39 feet long and 82 feet long.

“It is not uncommon to find all the ribs of an animal like this, much less in this position, while preserving their original anatomical position. This mode of preservation is relatively uncommon in the fossil record of the higher Portuguese dinosaurs, especially sauropods,” said Elizabeth Malavia, a researcher. Postdoctoral at the University of Lisbon, in a statement that “Jurassic.”

The press release said the most important skeletal elements were collected from the site, which include the vertebrae and ribs that could have been a sauropod Brachiosaurus, or Brachiosaurus. Dinosaur species roamed the Earth from 160 to 100 million years ago.

Due to the dinosaur’s preservation characteristics, researchers believe that other parts of its skeleton will also be found.

Christopher Britto

Christopher Britto is a social media producer and celebrity writer for CBS News, focusing on sports and stories involving issues of race and culture.