Analong
Type species Analong chuanjieensis
- Lived
- 171 to 168 million years ago, Middle Jurassic
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Group
- Sauropods, Mamenchisauridae
- Found in
- China
- Named by
- Ren et al. 2021
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
170 million years ago
Habitat
It lived around lakes in what is now southern China. Chuanjiesaurus and Shidaisaurus are also known from the Chuanjie Formation.
Field notes
About Analong
What it was like
Analong was a long-necked sauropod, an early member of the family of Mamenchisaurus. It is known from a partial skeleton.
Its world
It lived in the Middle Jurassic in what is now southern China. Its bones come from the Chuanjie Formation, where it shared the land with the sauropod Chuanjiesaurus and the predator Shidaisaurus.
How it was found
Ren and colleagues named it in 2021. The type species is Analong chuanjieensis.
Field gallery
More views of Analong
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 2
Lived alongside
Found in the same rock formations
A rock formation can hold fossils laid down millions of years apart, so not every animal here met Analong.
The evidence
The science behind Analong
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- A partial skeleton preserves some neck, back, hip and tail vertebrae, a forelimb, hip bones and a thigh bone.
- The tail vertebrae, forearm and hip bones differ from those of Chuanjiesaurus.
Borrowed from relatives
- Its skull and feet are restored after Mamenchisaurus youngi.
- The hand arrangement is compared with Mamenchisaurus youngi, and the thumb claw with Camarasaurus.
Still unknown
- The shape of its skull, hands and feet.
- Its skin texture and color.
- How its body proportions changed as it grew.
Discovery timeline
- 2014Same rocksXing et al.
- 2021Named itRen et al.
- 2023Family treeMoore et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Analong
Same rocks
Reported large sauropod and theropod footprints from the same formation, complementing its record of dinosaur skeletons.
Large sauropod and theropod tracks from the Middle Jurassic Chuanjie Formation of Lufeng County, Yunnan Province and palaeobiogeography of the Middle Jurassic sauropod tracks from southwestern China. Palaeoworld 23: 294-303
Read the paper : Large sauropod and theropod tracks from the Middle Jurassic Chuanjie Formation of Lufeng County, Yunnan Province and palaeobiogeography of the Middle Jurassic sauropod tracks from southwestern China (opens in a new tab)Named it
Separated a skeleton from Chuanjiesaurus and placed Analong on an early branch of the mamenchisaurid family in its analysis.
A revision of the referred specimen of Chuanjiesaurus anaensis Fang et al., 2000: a new early branching mamenchisaurid sauropod from the Middle Jurassic of China. Historical Biology 33: 1872-1887
Read the paper : A revision of the referred specimen of Chuanjiesaurus anaensis Fang et al., 2000: a new early branching mamenchisaurid sauropod from the Middle Jurassic of China (opens in a new tab)Family tree
Reexamined Mamenchisaurus and explored how exceptionally long necks evolved in the family to which Analong belongs.
Re-assessment of the Late Jurassic eusauropod Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum Russell and Zheng, 1993, and the evolution of exceptionally long necks in mamenchisaurids. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 21
Read the paper : Re-assessment of the Late Jurassic eusauropod Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum Russell and Zheng, 1993, and the evolution of exceptionally long necks in mamenchisaurids (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Mamenchisauridae
Sources: Wikidata