Chinshakiangosaurus

Say it like this: “JIN-shah-jiahng-uh-SOR-us”

Chinshakiangosaurus chunghoensis

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

Quiz me on Chinshakiangosaurus

When: Early Jurassic (Hettangian) · roughly 201.4 to 199.5 million years ago
Named in: 1992 · Dong, Z.
Hip height: 3 m · 10 ft
Length: 12–13 m · 39–43 ft
Weight: 3 tonnes
Found in: China · Fengjiahe
Food and walking: Herbivore · Four legs
Kind: long-neck giant · Sauropod
Family branch: Sauropoda

The story in short

The genus Chinshakiangosaurus dates to 1992, the year Z. Dong described it. The name means “chinshakiang lizard.”

Fossils referred to Chinshakiangosaurus date to the Early Jurassic (Hettangian), roughly 201.4 to 199.5 million years ago. Finds come from China, including the Fengjiahe Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.

Published estimates put Chinshakiangosaurus at a length near 12–13 m, hips about 3 m high, and a body mass around 3 tonnes.

On the family tree it sits in Sauropoda, among the sauropod dinosaurs.

Close relatives

Aepisaurus

Aepisaurus elephantinus

Early Cretaceous (Albian) · roughly 113.2 to 100.5 million years ago

Amygdalodon

Amygdalodon patagonicus

Early Jurassic (Pliensbachian · Toarcian) · roughly 192.9 to 174.7 million years ago

Archaeodontosaurus

Archaeodontosaurus descouensi

Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) · roughly 168.2 to 165.3 million years ago