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long-neck giant
Tonganosaurus
Say it like this: “toon-GAH-no-SOR-us”
Tonganosaurus hei
Tonganosaurus ate plants and walked on four legs. It lived in the Early Jurassic. Bones have been found in China.
- When
- Early Jurassic (Hettangian–Toarcian) · roughly 201.4 to 174.7 million years ago
- Named in
- 2010 · Li, K.; Yang, C. Y.; Liu, J.; Wang, Z. X.
- Hip height
- 2.9 m · 10 ft
- Length
- 11.6–12 m · 38–39 ft
- Weight
- 2 tonnes
- Found in
- China · Yimen
- Food and walking
- Herbivore · Four legs
- Kind
- long-neck giant · Sauropod
- Family branch
- Mamenchisauridae
The story in short
Tonganosaurus was formally named in 2010 by K. Li and colleagues. The name honors a person tied to the fossil or its study.
It lived in the Early Jurassic (Hettangian–Toarcian), roughly 201.4 to 174.7 million years ago. Finds come from China, including the Yimen Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.
Published estimates put Tonganosaurus at a length near 11.6–12 m, hips about 2.9 m high, and a body mass around 2 tonnes.
On the family tree it sits in Mamenchisauridae, among the sauropod dinosaurs.
Close relatives
Analong
Analong chuanjieensis
Middle Jurassic (Bajocian) · roughly 170.9 to 168.2 million years ago
Anhuilong
Anhuilong diboensis
Middle Jurassic (Aalenian–Callovian) · roughly 174.7 to 161.5 million years ago
Chuanjiesaurus
Chuanjiesaurus anaensis
Middle Jurassic (Bajocian) · roughly 170.9 to 168.2 million years ago