Dino card No. 1648 of 2,027

Shunosaurus

Say it: SHOO-no-SORE-us

Name means: “lizard from Sichuan”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksMiddle Jurassic to Late Jurassic

Shunosaurus was a plant-eating dinosaur with a long neck and a secret weapon on its tail. It lived in what is now China during the Late Jurassic period, about 161 to 157 million years ago. This dinosaur was one of the most common animals in its home, making up 90% of the fossils found there.1

Lived

175 to 155 million years ago5

Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic

Fossils found in

Sichuan Province, China, especially at the Dashanpu Quarry in Zigong1 2

Food

Plants1

Length

9.5 to 11 m1

estimates vary; earlier estimates were 11 m, later ones about 9.5 m

Weight

3 tonnes1

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 2 cars

as long as 2.5 cars parked in a rowas long as 61 bananas end to endas heavy as 100 big dogsas heavy as 600 watermelons

How big was Shunosaurus compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Shunosaurus had a very short neck for a sauropod, similar to some other dinosaurs called dicraeosaurids.1

Its tail ended in a club with two spikes made of bone, each about 5 centimetres (2 inches) long. It probably used this club to fight off predators.1

Scientists know a lot about Shunosaurus because many complete skeletons, skulls, and even babies have been found. About 94% of all its bones have been identified.1

Shunosaurus was first discovered in 1977 by a group of students practicing fossil digging at a road bank in Dashanpu, Sichuan.1

Its teeth were strong and long, with crowns up to 8 centimetres (3.1 inches) long. They had a unique shape: a cylindrical body with a spoon-shaped tip.1

Shunosaurus lived alongside other dinosaurs like the sauropods Datousaurus and Omeisaurus, the early stegosaur Huayangosaurus, and the meat-eating theropod Gasosaurus.1

AI-made picture of Shunosaurus — An AI-made picture of how Shunosaurus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Shunosaurus

?How big was Shunosaurus?

Shunosaurus was about 9.5 metres long and weighed around 3 tonnes.1

?What did Shunosaurus eat?

Shunosaurus was a plant-eater (herbivore). It had strong, spoon-shaped teeth and swallowed stones called gastroliths to help grind up tough plants.1 3

?Did Shunosaurus have a tail club?

Yes, Shunosaurus had a bony club at the end of its tail with two spikes about 5 centimetres long. It probably used it to defend itself from predators.1

?When did Shunosaurus live?

Shunosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic period, about 161 to 157 million years ago.1

?Where was Shunosaurus found?

Shunosaurus fossils were found in Sichuan Province, China, mostly at a place called Dashanpu Quarry.1

?Was Shunosaurus a dinosaur?

Yes, Shunosaurus was a sauropod dinosaur, a type of long-necked plant-eater.1 4

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Shunosaurus
Named by: Dong et al. 19835
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Eusauropoda5
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda5
Age of the rocks: 175 to 155 million years (Aalenian / Oxfordian)5
Rock formations: Shaximiao5
Countries: China5
Fossil records: 5 in the Paleobiology Database5
Discovery: The first Shunosaurus fossil was found in 1977 by students in Sichuan, China. It was named Shunosaurus lii in 1983 by Dong Zhiming, Zhou Shiwu, and Zhang Yihong. The species name honors Li Bing, an ancient governor of Sichuan.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure how old the rocks that contain Shunosaurus are. They were once thought to be Middle Jurassic, but newer studies suggest they might be Late Jurassic, about 159 million years old.1

Where the facts come from

Shunosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Dinosaurs from the Jurassic of Sichuan (naturalhistory.si.edu)
Dinosaurs - Shunosaurus lii - The Australian Museum (australian.museum)
Shunosaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Shunosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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