Zigongosaurus
"Zigong lizard"
Type species Mamenchisaurus fuxiensis
- Lived
- Jurassic
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Group
- Sauropods, Mamenchisauridae
- Named by
- Hou et al. 1976
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Fossil record
Zigong, Sichuan, China, Shaximiao Formation
Jurassic; exact numerical age unresolved
The original fossils were described from the Zigong area. Some studies place this animal in Mamenchisaurus, while others retain the original genus. Its distinctness and exact age remain uncertain.
No finds with map coordinates are recorded yet.
Habitat
It lived on land in Jurassic China, in a region also home to Yangchuanosaurus and Tuojiangosaurus.
Field notes
About Zigongosaurus
What it was like
Zigongosaurus was a long-necked sauropod related to Mamenchisaurus. It is known from pieces of skull and skeleton.
How it was found
Hou and colleagues named Zigongosaurus in 1976. Its type species has since been moved to Mamenchisaurus as Mamenchisaurus fuxiensis, and many scientists no longer treat Zigongosaurus as a separate genus.
Field gallery
More views of Zigongosaurus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
The evidence
The science behind Zigongosaurus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- Pieces of the skull and jaws were described under the name Zigongosaurus.
- Teeth assigned to its species have broad, spoon-shaped crowns with a bump on the inner surface.
Borrowed from relatives
- Mamenchisaurus provides a guide to the long neck and four-legged body used in restorations.
- Scaly skin follows impressions known from other sauropods.
Still unknown
- Whether Zigongosaurus should be treated as a separate genus or included in Mamenchisaurus.
- The exact length and proportions of its neck.
- Its color and skin pattern.
Discovery timeline
- 1976Named itHou, Zhou & Chao
- 2012Close relativeSuteethorn
- 2023Family treeMoore et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Zigongosaurus
Named it
Named Zigongosaurus from sauropod skull and skeletal remains found in China.
[New discovery of sauropod dinosaurs from Sichuan]. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 14: 160-165
No link available
Close relative
Compared sauropod teeth from Thailand with teeth assigned to Zigongosaurus's species, linking both to the mamenchisaurid family.
First evidence of a mamenchisaurid dinosaur from the Late Jurassic/Early Cretaceous Phu Kradung Formation of Thailand. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica
Read the paper : First evidence of a mamenchisaurid dinosaur from the Late Jurassic/Early Cretaceous Phu Kradung Formation of Thailand (opens in a new tab)Family tree
Found that species assigned to Mamenchisaurus fall on different branches of the family tree, showing why the group's names need further revision.
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