Zuolong

Say it like this: “zoo-OH-long”

Zuolong salleei

Zuolong ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Jurassic. Bones have been found in China.

Quiz me on Zuolong

When: Late Jurassic (Oxfordian) · roughly 161.5 to 154.8 million years ago
Named in: 2010 · Choiniere, J. N.; Clark, J. M.; Forster, C. A.; Xu, X.
Hip height: 0.7 m · 2 ft
Length: 3–3.4 m · 10–11 ft
Weight: 16–50 kg · 35–110 lb
Found in: China · Shishugou
Food and walking: Carnivore · Two legs
Kind: sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
Family branch: Coelurosauria

The story in short

Zuolong was formally named in 2010 by J. N. Choiniere and colleagues. The name honors a person tied to the fossil or its study.

Fossils referred to Zuolong date to the Late Jurassic (Oxfordian), roughly 161.5 to 154.8 million years ago. Finds come from China, including the Shishugou Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.

Published estimates put Zuolong at a length near 3–3.4 m, hips about 0.7 m high, and a body mass around 16–50 kg.

On the family tree it sits in Coelurosauria, among the theropod dinosaurs.

Close relatives

Aniksosaurus

Aniksosaurus darwini

Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian · Turonian) · roughly 100.5 to 89.8 million years ago

Aratasaurus

Aratasaurus museunacionali

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

Bicentenaria

Bicentenaria argentina

Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) · roughly 100.5 to 93.9 million years ago