Histriasaurus from Bale: a dinosaur described from a Kolone vertebra
Histriasaurus was described from a vertebra found at Kolone near Bale. This Early Cretaceous fossil links the local coast with research into sauropod dinosaurs.
The site’s discoverer, Dario Boscarolli, and his colleagues published the first scientific account of the Kolone bones in 1993. Five years later, palaeontologist Fabio Marco Dalla Vecchia described Histriasaurus boscarollii from a partially preserved dorsal vertebra. The bone, labelled WN-V6, has a tall neural arch and a combination of features that distinguished it from related dinosaurs known at the time.
The genus name comes from Histria, the Latin name for Istria. Dalla Vecchia named the species in honour of Boscarolli.
One species among varied remains
Other sauropod bones were also found at the site. They differ in size and structure, and some are too fragmentary to identify which part of the skeleton they came from. The remains belong to different individuals, while differences in their anatomy also suggest the presence of several species.
Histriasaurus belongs to Rebbachisauridae, one of the groups of long-necked sauropods. Its Early Cretaceous age and position among the family’s early members help researchers compare these dinosaurs’ evolution and distribution. The preserved vertebra provides evidence of relationships, but cannot reveal exact body length, skin colour or every detail of the animal’s appearance.
A site on today’s seabed
Sauropods lived on land. Their fossil bones at Kolone come from Early Cretaceous limestone beds dating to the transition from the Hauterivian to the Barremian. Researchers collected them from the shore and seabed where these beds are exposed. Some bones remained embedded in the rock, while others underwent marine weathering and became encrusted with sea organisms. The underwater site thus preserves the remains of land animals.
Fossils and the model at Ulika
The natural history display at MMC Ulika in Bale includes fossils from the local coast and a model of Histriasaurus. The model helps you picture the whole animal, while the scientific description of the species rests on the preserved bone. A full-body reconstruction does not mean that a complete skeleton of this species was found near Bale.