Boulemane: Moroccan and foreign researchers have unearthed three fossilized teeth of giant dinosaurs near Morocco’s Boulemane province, dating back to the Bathonian period (Middle Jurassic, around 168-166 million years ago). The study, published on August 7, 2025, in the scientific journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, notes that these teeth originate from the El Mers III Formation on the Boulahfa plain, a site of global significance for studying Middle Jurassic faunas. This discovery contributes to a deeper understanding of dinosaur evolution during that era.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, the study identifies the remains as the oldest confirmed evidence of Turiasauria on the African continent and the first certain fossils of this group in Morocco. Turiasauria are large herbivorous dinosaurs, similar to the ‘classic’ sauropods, recognizable by their broad, flat teeth with heart-shaped crowns. While the Moroccan specimens share these features, they differ from European species like Turiasaurus rio
devensis, leading authors to classify them as indeterminate Turiasauria due to insufficient elements for genus-level classification.

The authors highlight that frequent floods expose and cover the fossil-bearing layers of the site. The teeth were collected on the surface before nearby bones were reburied under sediment. The deposit, known as ‘Big Flood Quarry,’ is situated in a green-colored section of the El Mers III Formation.

The same geological unit has yielded significant discoveries, including the oldest known ankylosaur, Spicomellus afer, the first from Africa, two early stegosaurs, Adratiklit boulahfa and Thyreosaurus atlasicus, and the oldest documented ornithischian cerapod. These findings position the Middle Atlas as a crucial area for understanding the emergence of major dinosaur groups.

The study underscores that the teeth extend the known geographical range of Turiasauria in the Middle Jurassic, alongside records from Madagascar and Tanzania, and older evidence in Northern Europe. It confirms
that this family, initially described in Iberia, had an intercontinental distribution between the ancient continents of Laurasia and Gondwana, placing Morocco at the center of significant prehistoric migrations.