Ankylosaur Fossil Nearly Lost to Coastal Erosion Unearthed in Portugal

A 150‑million‑year‑old ankylosaur skeleton, up to 85 % complete and possibly nearing 95 % completeness, has been excavated from the cliffs of Praia da Foz do Sizandro near Torres Vedras, Portugal. The fossil was first spotted in June 2025 by Luís Domingos of the Centre for Paleobiology and Paleoecology (Ci2Paleo) while inventorying the coastal escarpment. After the site was threatened by severe winter storms and ongoing coastal erosion that had already caused fatalities and a €111 million shoreline‑recovery program, the team protected the area and resumed work in June 2025, retrieving about 45 osteoderms and confirming the specimen as an ankylosaur. Director Bruno Camilo said the animal is articulated from skull to tail and will be removed in a single block. If the hidden anterior elements are recovered, the find could become the most complete dinosaur ever described in Portugal, surpassing the previously recognized Miragaia longicollum specimen.