Yimenosaurus
"Yimen lizard"
- Lived
- 201 to 200 million years ago, Early Jurassic
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Length
- about 9 m (30 ft)
- Found in
- China
- Named by
- Bai et al. 1990
Size comparison
To scale
Scale in metersOutline: typical early sauropodomorph shape
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
200 million years ago
Habitat
The Fengjiahe Formation records lakes and their surrounding land in southern China. Other dinosaurs from these rocks include Yunnanosaurus, Irisosaurus and the armored Yuxisaurus.
Field notes
About Yimenosaurus
What it was like
Yimenosaurus was an early relative of the giant sauropods, a plant eater perhaps about 9 meters (30 feet) long. It is known from a partial skull and skeleton.
Its world
It lived in the Early Jurassic in what is now southern China. Its bones come from the Fengjiahe Formation, where it shared the land with Yunnanosaurus and the early armored dinosaur Yuxisaurus.
How it was found
Bai and colleagues named it in 1990.
Field gallery
More views of Yimenosaurus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 3
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 Yimenosaurus.
The evidence
The science behind Yimenosaurus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- Partial skeletons preserve much of the skull, backbone, hips and hind legs.
- The skull is lightly built, while the body and limb bones are heavy and sturdy.
- Its teeth have serrated edges, and the jaw joint sits below the tooth row.
Borrowed from relatives
- Much of its body shape comes from its own bones; missing arm details draw on early sauropodomorphs such as Plateosaurus and Lufengosaurus.
Still unknown
- Its exact place among early sauropodomorphs.
- Its skin color and texture.
- Which plants made up its diet.
Discovery timeline
- 1990Named itBai, Yang & Wang
- 2020Close relativePeyre de Fabrègues et al.
- 2022Same rocksYao et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Yimenosaurus
Named it
Described the skull and partial skeletons of a large early sauropodomorph with a lightly built head and sturdy limbs.
[Yimenosaurus, a new genus of Prosauropoda from Yimen County, Yunnan province]. Yuxiwenbo (Yuxi Culture and Scholarship) 1: 14-23
No link available
Close relative
Compared Irisosaurus with Yimenosaurus, finding differences in body size, upper jaw shape, teeth and neck bones.
A new species of early-diverging Sauropodiformes from the Lower Jurassic Fengjiahe Formation of Yunnan Province, China. Scientific Reports 10
Read the paper : A new species of early-diverging Sauropodiformes from the Lower Jurassic Fengjiahe Formation of Yunnan Province, China (opens in a new tab)Same rocks
Described Yuxisaurus, a heavily built armored dinosaur from the same formation as Yimenosaurus.
A new early branching armored dinosaur from the Lower Jurassic of southwestern China. eLife 11
Read the paper : A new early branching armored dinosaur from the Lower Jurassic of southwestern China (opens in a new tab)
Sources: Wikidata