Yanbeilong

Say it like this: “yen-BAY-long”

Yanbeilong ultimus

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

Quiz me on Yanbeilong

When: Early Cretaceous (Albian) · roughly 113.2 to 100.5 million years ago
Named in: 2024 · Jia, L.; Li, N.; Dong, L.; Shi, J.; Kang, Z.; Wang, S.; Xu, S.; You, H.
Hip height: Not established
Length: 6.3 m · 21 ft
Weight: Not established
Found in: China · Zuoyun
Food and walking: Herbivore · Four legs
Kind: plated dinosaur · Stegosaur
Family branch: Stegosaurinae

The story in short

In 2024, L. Jia and colleagues published the name Yanbeilong. The name means “north of Yanmen Pass.”

Fossils referred to Yanbeilong date to the Early Cretaceous (Albian), roughly 113.2 to 100.5 million years ago. Finds come from China, including the Zuoyun Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.

Published estimates put Yanbeilong at a length near 6.3 m.

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

Close relatives

Hesperosaurus

Hesperosaurus mjosi

Late Jurassic · Early Cretaceous (Oxfordian–Berriasian) · roughly 161.5 to 137.1 million years ago

Jiangjunosaurus

Jiangjunosaurus junggarensis

Middle Jurassic · Late Jurassic (Callovian · Oxfordian) · roughly 165.3 to 154.8 million years ago

Loricatosaurus

Loricatosaurus priscus

Middle Jurassic (Callovian) · roughly 165.3 to 161.5 million years ago