Discovering dinosaurs in Ribagorza is an amazing way to travel back to the end of the Cretaceous period, when the territory we now know as Ribagorza was a changing landscape of rivers, wetlands, and coastal plains. In Arén, more than seventy-five million years ago , dinosaurs left a trail that we can still clearly follow today: fossilized footprints and bone remains that have been preserved in the rock for millennia. Therefore, talking about dinosaurs in Ribagorza is not just talking about the past, but about a tangible scientific heritage that is easy to interpret on-site.
The paleontological sites of Arén are remarkable for their excellent state of preservation . Throughout the layers of sediment, footprints, imprints, and bone fragments can be observed, helping to identify species and reconstruct how they moved, what their environment was like, and what environmental conditions existed at that time. These fossils in Ribagorza are especially valuable because they do not appear in isolation: the geological context provides key information for understanding the climate, river dynamics, and the vegetation that fed the large herbivores. The visit, therefore, becomes a complete experience: landscape, geology, and science all in one.
One of the most significant moments for the research came when paleontologists from the University of Zaragoza discovered the remains of a new species and named it after the town: Arenysaurus . This find solidified Arén's position as a key site among the major European Upper Cretaceous fossil deposits. Later, in December 2010 , another remarkable discovery was made: remains attributed to Balsisaurus , a species previously only known from Asia and America, which further increased scientific interest in the area.
To complete your trip, the ideal option is to combine a visit to the fossil sites with a trip to the Ribagorza Dinosaur Museum , where the discoveries are explained in an accessible way, replicas are displayed, and the excavation and laboratory work is explained. This way, the Ribagorza Dinosaur experience is enjoyed with excitement, but also with a focus on accuracy.