Yunyangosaurus
Yunyangosaurus was a meat-eating dinosaur that lived in what is now China during the Middle Jurassic. It was about the size of a car and probably hunted smaller animals. Scientists think it might be an early relative of big predators like Megalosaurus.24
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Fun facts
Yunyangosaurus was named in 2020, making it a relatively new dinosaur discovery.4
Only one partial skeleton has been found, including eleven back bones and some ribs.2
The fossil was found in the Xintiangou Formation, a rock layer that has not yielded many dinosaur fossils.2
Yunyangosaurus had a combination of features that scientists have not seen in other theropods, like a special shape in its neck bones.2
It was a sub-adult when it died, meaning it was not fully grown.2
Most asked questions about Yunyangosaurus
?How big was Yunyangosaurus?
About 4.7 meters (15.4 feet) long, roughly the size of a car. This is an estimate based on its bones.13
?What did Yunyangosaurus eat?
It was a meat-eating dinosaur, so it probably hunted smaller animals. Scientists think it was an early relative of big predators like Megalosaurus.1
?When did Yunyangosaurus live?
It lived during the Middle Jurassic period, about 174 to 163 million years ago. The fossil was found in the Xintiangou Formation in China.13
?Is Yunyangosaurus a dinosaur?
Yes, it is a theropod dinosaur. It was a meat-eater and probably an early relative of big predators like Megalosaurus.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Yunyangosaurus
- Named by
- Dai et al. 20204
- Group
- Other meat-eaters
- Family / clade
- Tetanurae4
- Classification
- Theropoda4
- Age of the rocks
- 184 to 171 million years (Toarcian / Aalenian)4
- Rock formations
- Xintiangou4
- Countries
- China4
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- Yunyangosaurus was discovered in 2016 during a survey in Chongqing, China. It was named and described by scientists including H. Dai in 2020.24
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly where Yunyangosaurus fits in the dinosaur family tree. It might be a megalosauroid, but it also has features seen in other groups.2
Where the facts come from
- Yunyangosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- A new possible megalosauroid theropod from the Middle ... (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- A new possible megalosauroid theropod from the Middle Jurassic Xintiangou Formation of Chongqing, People’s Republic of China and its implication for early tetanuran evolution | Scientific Reports (nature.com)
- Yunyangosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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