Chinese paleontologists have discovered a new species of dinosaur, Lishulong wangi, which belonged to the group of sauropodomorphs and lived in modern-day China about 200 million years ago, in the early Jurassic period.
The skull, discovered in the Lufeng Dinosaur National Geopark, is well-preserved due to its unique geological conditions. According to the study's lead author, Qian-Nan Zhang, lake and river sediments protected the remains from decay, and minerals that permeated the bones helped them fossilize. This specimen, about 10 meters long, was a herbivore, feeding on ferns, ginkgo, cycads and conifers.
Lishulong wangi differs from its closest relatives, such as Yunnanosaurus, in having more developed nostrils, which likely influenced its physiological characteristics. The researchers also emphasize that the found species is the largest among the non-sauropod sauropodomorphs known from the Lufen Formation, which is famous for its abundance of dinosaur fossils. The remains of seven other genera of early sauropodomorphs have previously been discovered here.
The discovery of Lishulong wangi significantly expands our understanding of the evolution of sauropodomorphs, ancient relatives of large, long-necked dinosaurs such as Brontosaurus and Diplodocus. This new species demonstrates that even in the early Jurassic period they reached considerable sizes and had adaptations that later became characteristic of their larger descendants.