Scientists have identified a new dinosaur species that lived 190 million years ago in what is now China, bridging a major gap in the evolutionary understanding of long-necked giants. Named Xiangyunloong fengming, the dinosaur was 9-10 metres long, making it one of the largest-known plant-eating dinosaurs found in China.
The species lived during the Early Jurassic epoch, between 201 and 174 million years ago, a pivotal period witnessing the rise and diversification of long-necked, plant-eating dinosaurs. The genus name combines Xiangyun, the county where the specimen was found, and loong for the traditional Chinese dragon. The species name, fengming, meaning phoenix singing, is a reminder that birds are living dinosaurs and also echoes Luming, the town where the fossil was discovered.
Researchers identified the new species from fragments of cervical, pelvic, vertebral, and hip bones found at a fossil site in the Fengjiahe Formation in Yunnan province. They noted that Xiangyunloong was distinguished from other long-necked sauropod dinosaurs by a unique combination of features, including a larger body size, shorter neck, and elongated tail, indicating an initial stage of gigantism and the potential ability to walk on two legs.
These features could represent an alternative evolutionary pathway to the neck elongation seen in many relatives. The discovery provides further evidence for diverse adaptive strategies employed by these dinosaurs before the dominance of long-necked, gigantic sauropods, significantly enriching the morphological and ecological diversity of early-diverging sauropodomorphs in southwestern China.
