Outline: a typical early sauropodomorph
Lishulong
"chestnut tree dragon"
Type species Lishulong wangi
- Lived
- 200 to 175 million years ago, Early Jurassic
- Group
- Early sauropodomorphs
- Found in
- China
- Named by
- Zhang et al. 2024
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
185 million years ago
Field notes
About Lishulong
What it was like
Lishulong was a large plant eater from the long-necked line that later produced the giant sauropods. It is known from a well-preserved skull and part of the skeleton.
Its world
It lived in the Early Jurassic in what is now southwestern China. Its bones come from the Lufeng Formation, where it shared the land with Lufengosaurus, Yunnanosaurus and the crested hunter Sinosaurus.
How it was found
Zhang and colleagues named Lishulong in 2024, from a single find.
Lived alongside
Found in the same rock formations
Close relatives
Other members of Sauropodiformes
Sources: WikidataNamed in: Q. Zhang, L. Jia, and T. Wang, Y. Zhang, H. You. 2024. The largest sauropodomorph skull from the Lower Jurassic Lufeng Formation of China. PeerJ 12(4443):e18629