Changdusaurus
Changdusaurus was a plated dinosaur that munched on plants during the Middle Jurassic. It walked on four legs and had bony plates on its back for protection. This stegosaur lived in what is now China.11
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Fun facts
Changdusaurus lived about 174 to 161 million years ago, during the Middle Jurassic.5
Its name means 'Changdu lizard' after the city of Changdu in Tibet.1
This dinosaur was a stegosaur, a group known for having plates and spines along their backs.1
Some scientists think Changdusaurus might be a nomen nudum, meaning the name was not properly described.1
The only fossils of Changdusaurus were found at the Dabuka site in Daye, China.1
Stegosaurids like Changdusaurus had a very small head compared to their huge body.1
Most asked questions about Changdusaurus
?How big was Changdusaurus?
It was about 7 metres (23 feet) long. That is roughly the length of a large minibus.3
?What did Changdusaurus eat?
It ate plants. It was a herbivore that munched on ferns and other greenery.3
?When did Changdusaurus live?
It lived during the Middle Jurassic, about 174 to 161 million years ago.3
?Where was Changdusaurus found?
Its fossils were found in China, near the city of Changdu in Tibet, at the Dabuka site.53
?Is Changdusaurus a real dinosaur?
Some scientists think it is a nomen nudum, meaning the name was not properly described. So it is not a fully accepted dinosaur name.54
?Did Changdusaurus have plates?
Yes, it had bony plates on its back for protection, like other stegosaurs.3
?Was Changdusaurus a stegosaur?
Yes, it was a stegosaur, a group of plated dinosaurs that walked on four legs.5
?How fast could Changdusaurus run?
Nobody knows for sure. Since it was a heavy, four-legged stegosaur, it probably moved slowly.3
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Myth buster
Myth: Many people think all stegosaurs had the same number of plates.
Truth: Different stegosaur species had different numbers and shapes of plates and spines.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Changdusaurus
- Named by
- Zhao 19855
- Group
- Plated dinos
- Family / clade
- Stegosauridae5
- Classification
- Ornithischia > Stegosauria > Thyreophora5
- Age of the rocks
- 175 to 162 million years (Aalenian / Callovian)5
- Countries
- China5
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database5
- Discovery
- Changdusaurus was named by Chinese paleontologist Zhao Xijin in 1985 based on fossils from the Jurassic of Tibet.12
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure if Changdusaurus is a valid dinosaur or if its fossils belong to another stegosaur.1
Where the facts come from
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- PBDB Bibliographic Reference (paleobiodb.org)
- “Changtusaurus laminaplacodus” | Dinosaur Database by DinoAnimals.com (dinoanimals.com)
- Re: Stegosaurian genera (dml.reptilis.net)
- Changdusaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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