Scientists have identified a newdinosaurspecies that lived190 million years agoin what is nowChina, bridging a major gap in ourevolutionaryunderstanding of the long-necked giant.
Xiangyunloong fengmingwas 9-10m long, making it one of thelargest-known plant-eating dinosaursfound in China. It lived during the Early Jurassic epoch, between 201 and 174 million years ago, which wasa pivotal evolutionary periodwitnessing the rise and diversification of long-necked, plant-eating dinosaurs.
The genus name is an amalgamation ofXiangyun,the county where the specimen was found, andloongfor the traditional “Chinese dragon”. The species name,fengming,meaning phoenix singing, is a reminder thatbirds are living dinosaurs. It also echoesLuming, the town the fossil was found in.
“Additionally, Fengming was the original name of Lin Fengmian, the artistic master and founding president of the China Academy of Art, whose staff participated extensively in this project,” the researchers wrote in a study published in the journalRoyal Society Open Science.
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The researchers identified the new species from fragments of cervical, pelvic, vertebral, and hip bones found at a fossil site in the Fengjiahe Formation in southwestern China’s Yunnan province.
They noticed thatXiangyunloongwas distinguished from fellow long-necked sauropod dinosaurs by a unique combination of features.“Xiangyunloongexhibits significant morphological distinctions fromXingxiulongand other early-diverging sauropodomorphs, supporting its designation as a new genus,” they wrote.
It had a larger body size, a shorter neck, and an elongated tail compared to similar dinosaurs, indicating an initial stage of gigantism characteristic of such species, as well as the potential ability to walk on two legs.
These features, according to the researchers, could represent an alternative evolutionary pathway to the neck elongation seen in many of its relatives.
“It provides further evidence for the diverse adaptive strategies employed by these dinosaurs prior to the dominance of the long-necked, gigantic sauropods,” they argued. “The discovery ofXiangyunloongsignificantly enriches the morphological and ecological diversity of early-diverging sauropodomorphs in southwestern China.”
