Yingshanosaurus
Yingshanosaurus was a medium-sized stegosaur that lived in what is now China. It had flat, triangular plates along its back and a big spike on its shoulder to protect itself. This dinosaur munched on plants and walked slowly on all four legs.1
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Fun facts
Yingshanosaurus had a large spike near its shoulder that probably helped protect its body from predators.1
Its back plates were arranged in matching pairs along the neck, back, and tail, unlike some other stegosaurs that had staggered plates.1
This dinosaur lived during the Middle Jurassic, about 168 to 162 million years ago.2
The first Yingshanosaurus fossil was found in 1983 by a villager digging the foundation for his house in Jichuan Township.1
Yingshanosaurus was about 4 to 5 metres long, similar in size to the stegosaur Kentrosaurus from Africa.1
The holes between the vertebrae in its sacrum (hip area) were almost completely closed, a feature of more advanced stegosaurs.1
Most asked questions about Yingshanosaurus
?How big was Yingshanosaurus?
It was about 4 to 5 metres (13 to 16 feet) long, similar in size to a modern rhinoceros. That makes it a medium-sized stegosaur.1
?What did Yingshanosaurus eat?
It was an herbivore, meaning it ate plants. Like other stegosaurs, it munched on low-growing vegetation.1
?When did Yingshanosaurus live?
It lived during the Middle Jurassic period, about 168 to 162 million years ago. Its fossils were found in the Upper Shaximiao Formation in China.1
?Where was Yingshanosaurus found?
Its fossils were discovered in Yingshan County, Sichuan Province, China. A villager found the skeleton in 1983 while digging the foundation for his house.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Some people thought Yingshanosaurus was not a real dinosaur because its scientific description was hard to find.
Truth: Yingshanosaurus was properly named and described in 1994 by Zhu Songlin, and its fossils are stored at the Chongqing Natural History Museum.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Yingshanosaurus
- Named by
- Zhou 19862
- Group
- Plated dinos
- Family / clade
- Stegosauridae2
- Classification
- Ornithischia > Stegosauria > Thyreophora2
- Age of the rocks
- 168 to 162 million years (Bathonian / Callovian)2
- Rock formations
- Shaximiao2
- Countries
- China2
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database2
- Discovery
- A villager in Jichuan, China, found a partial skeleton in 1983 while digging for his house. Scientists led by Zhu Songlin excavated it, and in 1994 Zhu named it Yingshanosaurus jichuanensis.1
- Still debated
- Scientists still debate whether the plates on its back were used for display, species recognition, or temperature control.1
Where the facts come from
- Yingshanosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Yingshanosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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