Chinshakiangosaurus

Chinshakiangosaurus is one of the few early sauropods with preserved skull bones, which helps scientists understand how sauropods evolved.1

Its lower jaw was curved into a U-shape, like later sauropods, but unlike the V-shaped jaws of earlier prosauropods.1

Scientists think Chinshakiangosaurus may have had fleshy cheeks, a feature that helped it hold food while chewing.12

The only known fossil includes a left lower jaw, neck and back vertebrae, shoulder blades, hip bones, and hind legs.1

The name was first used in 1975 but was not properly described until 1992, so for many years it was just a name without a description.1

Chinshakiangosaurus lived about 200 million years ago, during the Hettangian stage of the Early Jurassic.3