Baiyinosaurus

Say it like this: “bye-YIN-oh-SAWR-us”

Baiyinosaurus baojiensis

Baiyinosaurus ate plants and walked on four legs. It lived in the Middle Jurassic. Bones have been found in China.

Quiz me on Baiyinosaurus

When: Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) · roughly 168.2 to 165.3 million years ago
Named in: 2024 · Ning, L.; Maidment, S. C. R.; Daqing, L.; Hailu, Y.; Guangzhao, P.
Hip height: 1.1 m · 4 ft
Length: 4.8 m · 16 ft
Weight: 850 kg · 1,874 lb
Found in: China · Wangjiashan
Food and walking: Herbivore · Four legs
Kind: plated dinosaur · Stegosaur
Family branch: Stegosauria

The story in short

Baiyinosaurus was formally named in 2024 by L. Ning and colleagues. The name means “baiyin reptile.”

Fossils referred to Baiyinosaurus date to the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian), roughly 168.2 to 165.3 million years ago. Finds come from China, including the Wangjiashan Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.

Published estimates put Baiyinosaurus at a length near 4.8 m, hips about 1.1 m high, and a body mass around 850 kg.

On the family tree it sits in Stegosauria, among the plated dinosaurs.

Close relatives

Amargastegos

Amargastegos brevicollus

Early Cretaceous (Barremian) · roughly 125.8 to 121.4 million years ago

Bashanosaurus

Bashanosaurus primitivus

Middle Jurassic · Late Jurassic (Bajocian–Oxfordian) · roughly 170.9 to 154.8 million years ago

Chialingosaurus

Chialingosaurus kuani

Middle Jurassic · Late Jurassic (Bajocian–Oxfordian) · roughly 170.9 to 154.8 million years ago