Tuojiangosaurus is a medium-sized stegosaurus that lived in the Sichuan Basin in the Late Jurassic. It got its name because its fossil specimens were first discovered in Zigong City in the Tuojiang River Basin.
In 1974, the Chongqing Museum hosted a project to conduct systematic excavation work at Wujiaba near Zigong in Sichuan. After three months of excavation, 106 wicker boxes, Fossilized skeleton weighing 10 tons. Dong Zhiming studied these specimens and restored the skeletons of two Emeisaurus, one Sichuanosaurus and one Tuojiangsaurus. Among them, Tuojiangosaurus is the first complete stegosaur skeleton ever excavated in Asia.
Currently, a Tuojiangosaurus fossil is on display in the Dinosaur Hall of the China Dinosaur Park. Its body is 7.5 meters long, with a small head, a low and flat top, a long and pointed mouth, a high arched back, and a tail dragging on the ground. Just like the arch bridge in ancient my country. The sword plates of Tuojiangosaurus are larger and have various shapes. The one on the neck is light, thin and peach-shaped, the one on the back is triangular, and the one on the spine and tail is in the shape of a tall spiny flat cone. From the neck to the sacral part, the sword plates gradually increase in height, enlargement, and thickness, with the largest pair growing in the sacral part. These sword plates are arranged symmetrically on both sides of the midline on the back of Tuojianglong. The number of sword plates is more than that of other stegosaur species, reaching 15 pairs. The teeth in the upper and lower jaws are smaller and leaf-shaped, but they are more numerous and closely arranged. Although it was almost entirely covered with armor, those ferocious carnivorous dinosaurs were still the natural enemies of Tuojiangosaurus.
Tuojiangosaurus is extremely closely related to Stegosaurus, which lived in North America at the same time. From its neck, back to tail, Tuojiangosaurus has 15 pairs of triangular back plates, which are sharper than the back plates of Stegosaurus and are used to defend against invading enemies. At the end of its short and strong tail, there are two pairs of upward-raised tail spines. Tuojianglong can use its tail to slam any carnivorous enemies that dare to get close.
Chinese name: Tuojiang Dragon
Latin name: Tuojiangosaurus
Age of survival: Late Jurassic
Fossil origin: Sichuan, China
Physical characteristics: 7.5 meters long
Diet: plants
Species: Stegosaurus
Definition: Dedicated to Tuojiang River (a branch of the Yangtze River)
animal tags： Tuojiangosaurus
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