Yandusaurus
"Yandu lizard"
- Lived
- 171 to 168 million years ago, Middle Jurassic
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Length
- about 3 m (10 ft)
- Group
- Early ornithischians
- Found in
- China
- Named by
- He 1979
Size comparison
To scale
Scale in metersOutline: typical early ornithischian shape
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
170 million years ago
Habitat
The Shaximiao Formation records river plains, deltas and lakes in China. Its wider dinosaur fauna included Shunosaurus, Huayangosaurus and Yangchuanosaurus.
Field notes
About Yandusaurus
What it was like
Yandusaurus was a small, two-legged plant eater about 3 meters (10 feet) long. It had long legs for running and a beak with leaf-shaped teeth.
Its world
It lived in the Middle Jurassic in what is now China. Its bones come from the Shaximiao Formation, where it shared the land with the long-necked Shunosaurus, the stegosaur Huayangosaurus and the hunter Yangchuanosaurus.
How it was found
He named Yandusaurus in 1979. Two finds are known.
Field gallery
More views of Yandusaurus
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 Yandusaurus.
The evidence
The science behind Yandusaurus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- A damaged partial skeleton preserves skull fragments and bones from the rest of the body.
- Its fragmentary skull and skeleton distinguish it from the more complete animal now called Hexinlusaurus.
Borrowed from relatives
- The complete outline of its body and tail is restored by comparison with small plant eaters such as Agilisaurus and Hexinlusaurus.
Still unknown
- Its precise position within the early plant-eating dinosaur family tree.
- Its skin covering and color.
- How its proportions changed as it grew.
Discovery timeline
- 1979Named it
- 2005RedescriptionBarrett, Butler & Knoll
- 2015Family treeBoyd
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Yandusaurus
Redescription
Reexamined small plant-eating dinosaurs and separated the species formerly called Yandusaurus multidens into Hexinlusaurus.
Small-bodied ornithischian dinosaurs from the Middle Jurassic of Sichuan, China. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 25: 823-834
Read the paper : Small-bodied ornithischian dinosaurs from the Middle Jurassic of Sichuan, China (opens in a new tab)Family tree
Reviewed the fragmentary remains of Yandusaurus and explained how fossils later renamed Hexinlusaurus had affected earlier family trees.
The systematic relationships and biogeographic history of ornithischian dinosaurs. PeerJ 3: e1523
Read the paper : The systematic relationships and biogeographic history of ornithischian dinosaurs (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Neornithischia
Sources: Wikidata