La Puebla de Valverde excavation opens its doors to bring science closer to the public

The open day gave visitors a unique opportunity to observe the scientific work underway at the Puebla de Valverde fossil site, a protected palaeontological locality of significant heritage value. During the activity, Gema Siliceo, an ARAID researcher and co-director of the excavation, explained, alongside the rest of the scientific team, the methods used to recover, prepare, and preserve fossil remains, as well as the importance of documenting their geological context. 

Participants learned about the site's remarkable fossil diversity, which includes more than twenty mammal species and three bird species from the Villafranchian age, among them horses, rhinoceroses, deer, gazelles and large predators such as sabre-toothed carnivores. The event also highlighted the scientific and heritage importance of the excavation programme led by Fundación Dinópolis, through which the recovered fossils remain in Teruel for their preservation, study and long-term curation at the Aragón Museum of Palaeontology, contributing to both research and public understanding of the region's palaeontological heritage.