Yuzhoulong

Yuzhoulong is one of the earliest known macronarians, the group that later included giants like Brachiosaurus and Giraffatitan.2

Its bones were found mixed with those of another, unnamed sauropod, making the dig site extra exciting.1

The fossil skeleton is from a young, not fully grown individual, so scientists think adults might have been even bigger.21

Yuzhoulong had a unique feature: two extra holes on the back part of some of its back bones, which no other sauropod has.2

The name 'Yuzhou' comes from the ancient name of Chongqing, and 'long' means dragon in Chinese.1

It lived about 166 million years ago, during the Middle Jurassic, in what is now the Sichuan Basin in China.2