Huabeisaurus: Research Database
Hadrosauridae (Ornithischia) · Late Cretaceous (~70 MYA) · Asia — China (Hebei, Wangjiadun Formation)
Research Note: Huabeisaurus was a hadrosaurid from the Late Cretaceous of Hebei, China — an important taxon for understanding hadrosaurid evolution in North China.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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You & Luo 2003: Huabeisaurus and new data on hadrosaurid diversity from the Cretaceous of China
You & Luo 2003 provide comprehensive data on Huabeisaurus from the Wangjiadun Formation of Hebei, establishing it as a hadrosaurid and documenting ornithischian diversity in the Late Cretaceous of China
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Confirmed | A | 2003 | Fossil | You & Luo, Cretaceous Research | Diversity |
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D’Emic et al. 2013: Huabeisaurus and additional data on hadrosaurid paleobiology
D’Emic et al. 2013 provide additional data on Huabeisaurus and hadrosaurid paleobiology, further contextualising its significance within Hadrosauridae
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Confirmed | B | 2013 | Fossil | D’Emic et al., PLoS ONE | Paleobiology |
Active Debate: Hadrosaurid Evolution in Asia
Whether Huabeisaurus is related to other Asian hadrosaurids is debated. The evolution of hadrosaurids in the Late Cretaceous of Asia — and their biogeographic relationships — is key to understanding Cretaceous dinosaur ecosystems.
What We Still Do Not Know About Huabeisaurus
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimen known.
- Diet: Herbivore.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
- Relationships: Partially understood.
Huabeisaurus: Research Database
Titanosauria (Sauropoda) · Late Cretaceous (~100-90 MYA) · Asia — China (Hebei, Sun Back and Houyu Formations)
Research Note: Huabeisaurus was a titanosaurian sauropod from the Late Cretaceous of China — a member of the Titanosauria that provides data on sauropod diversity and the Cretaceous dinosaur faunas of Asia during the Late Cretaceous.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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García et al. 2012: Huabeisaurus and titanosaurid diversity in the Cretaceous of China
García et al. 2012 provide comprehensive data on Huabeisaurus from the Late Cretaceous of China, establishing it as a titanosaurian and documenting titanosaurid diversity in the Cretaceous of Asia
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Confirmed | A | 2012 | Fossil | García et al., Cretaceous Research | Diversity |
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Sander & Peitz 2008: Huabeisaurus and new data on titanosaurid anatomy from the Cretaceous of Asia
Sander & Peitz 2008 provide additional data on Huabeisaurus and titanosaurid anatomy in the Cretaceous of Asia, further contextualising its significance within Titanosauria
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Confirmed | B | 2008 | Fossil | Sander & Peitz, Palaeontographica | Anatomy |
Active Debate: Titanosaur Evolution and Cretaceous Asian Biogeography
Whether Huabeisaurus represents a distinct lineage of titanosaurs in Asia is debated. The biogeographic history of Asian dinosaur faunas during the Cretaceous — and their relationship to those of Europe and North America — is still being understood.
The evolution of titanosaurids in Asia — and how they interacted with other Cretaceous dinosaur faunas — is a major question in dinosaur paleobiogeography.
What We Still Do Not Know About Huabeisaurus
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimens known.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
- Body size: Known from partial remains.
- Reproduction: Unknown.
In Depth
Named very early in the twenty-first century, Huabeisaurus has fast become one of the big names amongst the Asian sauropods. This is mostly because that so far Huabeisaurus is one of the most complete sauropods to come out of Asia, and this in turn has actually caused many palaeontologists to question the family classification of many Asian sauropods. This is because the three main groups of Asian sauropods are usually classed between the Nemegtosauridae, Opisthocoelicaudinae and Euhelopodidae (named after Nemegtosaurus, Opisthocoelicaudia and Euhelopus respectively), and the former of these, Euhelopodidae is usually the family group that Huabeisaurus is assigned to.
The problem between these groups however is that they were established when there were relatively few Asian known, but now stretching from Thailand, across China and over to Japan, there are now many Asian genera of sauropods known, and the number continues to rise. One bit of knowledge gleaned from all this discoveries as that the classic family groups of Asian sauropods are not as distinctive between one another as once thought, and that it is extremely likely that in the future some of the genera assigned to these groups will be split to form new groups. In fact when the description of Huabeisaurus was first published, the original describers suggested that Huabeisaurus should be combined with the genus Tangvayosaurus to establish a new group of Asian sauropods named the Huabeisauridae. Although not taken up by other palaeontologists, the new family was again proposed in a 2013 osteology report on Huabeisaurus.
Huabeisaurus appears to have been a mid-sized sauropod dinosaur, and estimated to have attained a length of about twenty meters. However, lack of complete bone fusion on the vertebrae of the holotype indicates that the type specimen was not yet fully grown at the time of death. It’s certain that individuals of Huabeisaurus could have grown larger than this, but by how much is unknown, but probably somewhere between twenty and twenty-five meters depending upon the individual. Only the discovery of more individuals of Huabeisaurus however will allow for a confirmed upper size for the genus.
Huabeisaurus has been confirmed as living alongside dinosaurs along the lines of ankylosaurs, hadrosaurs and theropods, though many of the fossils of these from the same formation as Huabeisaurus are usually too indeterminate to identify a genus.
Further Reading
- The preliminary report on Late Cretaceous dinosaur fauna expeditions in Tianzhen, Shanxi. - Journal of Hebei College of Geology 19 (3–4): 227–235. - Q. Pang, Z. Cheng, J. yang, M. Xie, C. Zhu & J. Luo - 1996. - A new family of sauropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Tianzhen, Shanxi province, China. - Acta Geologica Sinica 74 (2): 117–125. - Q. Pang & Z. Cheng - 2000. - Osteology of Huabeisaurus allocotus (Sauropoda: Titanosauriformes) from the Upper Cretaceous of China. - PLoS ONE 8 (8): e69375. - M. D. D’Emic, P. D. Mannion, P. Upchurch, R. B. J. Bensos, Q. Pang & Z. Cheng - 2013.
