Fossils from Romania

Romania has a varied fossil record, with sites ranging from marine invertebrate deposits to important Late Cretaceous vertebrate localities.

The Repedea Hill Fossil Site, near Iași, is a Miocene deposit known primarily for its marine fossils. It preserves a range of molluscs and corals from a time when the region was covered by the Paratethys Sea. It’s one of the more accessible fossil sites in the country and has been a protected area since the 20th century.

The Cozla Fossil Site contains well-preserved marine molluscs and is sometimes collected for teaching and local study. Like Repedea, it records the rich marine ecosystems of the ancient Paratethys.

The Sânpetru Formation, part of the larger Hațeg Basin deposits, dates to the Late Cretaceous and is Romania’s most famous fossil site. It has yielded dwarf dinosaurs, crocodyliforms, and other vertebrates, preserved from what was then an island environment. This includes animals like Magyarosaurus and Megalosaurus, as well as various other dinosaurs, turtles, and more.

Cioclovina is primarily known for the discovery of an Upper Palaeolithic human cranium, found in a cave context. Although not a fossil site in the traditional sense, it’s an important part of Romania’s Quaternary record and human prehistory.

Cioclovina also provides a number of the Ursus spelaeus (Cave Bear) fossils we see online, primarily finger bones and teeth.

Romania’s fossil sites may not be globally famous, but they are regionally significant and provide important information about both ancient marine environments and island ecosystems of the Late Cretaceous.

Romania