Fossil origin and body characteristics of Lufengosaurus

Lufengosaurus lived in the Early Jurassic about 190 million years ago and was the ancestor of the later giant herbivorous dinosaurs. It is named after the type specimen was found in Lufeng County, Yunnan Province, China. It is also the first complete dinosaur fossil found in China.

Lufenglong was unearthed in a place now called "Dinosaur Mountain" - Dawa Dinosaur Mountain. Dawa Dinosaur Mountain is located in the northeast of Lufeng County, 4 kilometers away from the county seat. It was named "Dinosaur Mountain" because of the numerous dinosaur fossils unearthed. There are dinosaur fossils exposed on the surface around the 14 natural villages around it. As early as 1938, geologist Bian Meinian hunted this dinosaur from a bone oil lamp in the hands of farmers in Lufeng.

Lufenglong has a bulky body structure, medium size, small skull (as long as 3.5 vertebrae in front of the tail), triangular nostrils, small and short front eye openings, large and round eye sockets, and the upper temporal opening is close to the upper part of the skull and cannot be seen from the side. . The mandibular joint is lower than the dentition surface, and there is an unossified space between the upper occipital bone and parietal bone. The teeth are small, not sharp, and single in shape, with slightly flat crowns and serrated edges on both the front and rear edges. The neck is long, the spine is thick, and the tail is very long. There are 10 cervical vertebrae, 14 dorsal vertebrae, 3 sacral vertebrae, and 45 coccygeal vertebrae. The scapulae are slender, the sternum is well developed, the intestinal bones are short, and the pubic bone and ischium are thin. The forelimbs are half as long as the hind limbs.

Lufenglong was only 5 meters long and more than 2 meters tall when standing, not much bigger than today's horses. Its head is small, and its feet have toes with thick claws at the ends. The forelimbs are short and have 5 fingers. There is a thick and big tail trailing behind it, which can be used to support the body when standing, as if it is carrying a stool with it.

Lufeng dragon is divided into two species, namely giant Lufeng dragon and Xu's Lufeng dragon. The body shape of Giant Lufengosaurus is about one-third larger than Lufengosaurus Xu's. The former's vertebrae are thicker. Other than that, there is not much difference between the two. If they are not carefully distinguished, they may be regarded as the same dinosaur. Different growth stages lead to different body shapes due to different ages.

Chinese name: Lufenglong

Latin name: Lufengosaurus

Age of survival: Early Jurassic

Fossil origin: Yunnan, China

Physical characteristics: 5~6 meters long

Diet: Plants

Species: Sauropod

Definition: Lizard from Lufeng

animal tags： Lufengosaurus