Discovered by accident in 1987, and now belonging to the Toulouse Natural History Museum, the paleontological site in Montréal-du-Gers is one of Europe’s finest and the most important French discovery for a century. It has been dated to 17 million years.

The site has yielded a wealth of fossilised fauna. Since its discovery, thousands of bones have been excavated, over 90 species of vertebrates including 50 species of mammal, reptile, amphibians and birds. These species include four species that are new to science.

Because it is so rich in important paleontological findings the site has immense heritage value and is listed in different Geological Heritage inventories and it is considered geosite of international relevance.