Dongyangosaurus

Dong-yang-o-sore-us.
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Liam Carter

Paleoanthropologist

Liam Carter explores the roots of humanity by studying early human fossils and artifacts. His ground-breaking work has provided a deeper understanding of our ancestors' lifestyles and social structures.

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Name

Dongyangosaurus ‭(‬Dongyang lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Dong-yang-o-sore-us.

Named By

Lu Junchang Yoichi Azuma Chen Rongjun Zheng Wenjie‭ & ‬Jin Xingsheng‭ ‬-‭ ‬2008.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Sauropoda,‭ ‬Titanosauria,‭ ‬Saltasauridae.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

D.‭ ‬sinensis‭

Size

Uncertain but estimated to be somewhere about‭ ‬15‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

China,‭ ‬Zhejiang Province‭ ‬-‭ ‬Fangyan Formation.

Time Period

Estimated at some point during the earlier stages of the Late Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial but articulated postcranial skeleton comprising‭ ‬10‭ ‬dorsal‭ (‬back‭)‬,‭ ‬and two caudal‭ (‬tail‭) ‬vertebrae as well as a complete pelvis.

In Depth

       Dongyangosaurus is a genus of titanosaurid dinosaur that is known to have lived in China at some point during the earlier stages of the late Cretaceous,‭ ‬Though only known from partial remains,‭ ‬Dongyangosaurus has been confidently identified as a saltasaurid titanosaur,‭ ‬and similar in form to Saltasaurus which is known from South America.‭ ‬The genus that Dongyangosaurus seems to be closest too however is Opisthocoelicaudia from Mongolia.‭ ‬Overall it is unknown if Dongyangosaurus had any bizarre features,‭ ‬or even if it had similar bony armour plates in the skin that Saltasaurus is known to have had.‭ ‬The pubic bone of Dongyangosaurus is notably shorter than the ischium however,‭ ‬something that in dinosaurs as a whole is usually the other way around.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new titanosauriform sauropod from the early Late Cretaceous of Dongyang,‭ ‬Zhejiang Province.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Acta Geologica Sinica‭ (‬English Edition‭) ‬82‭ (‬2‭)‬:‭ ‬225‭–‬235.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Lu Junchang Yoichi Azuma Chen Rongjun Zheng Wenjie‭ & ‬Jin Xingsheng‭ ‬-‭ ‬2008.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT