Hudiesaurus
Encyclopedia
Hudiesaurus is a genus
of dinosaur
from China
. A sauropod, it may have been related to Mamenchisaurus
. Its fossil
remains were found in the Kalazha Formation
, which dates to the late Jurassic
Period. The type (and only known) species, Hudiesaurus sinojapanorum, is known from only two incomplete specimens. The type specimen (IVPP V 11120) is represented only by a very large vertebra. Another partial skeleton from an apparently smaller individual, consisting of a nearly complete front leg and teeth, has also been assigned to this species. Both specimens were described by Dong in 1997. Although the specimens are fragmentary, Hudiesaurus is believed to have been very large, even for sauropods, and may have reached 30m (or over 100 ft) in length.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. A sauropod, it may have been related to Mamenchisaurus
Mamenchisaurus
Mamenchisaurus was a plant-eating four-legged dinosaur, known for its remarkably long neck which made up half its total length. It is known from numerous species which ranged in time from 160 to 145 million years ago, from the Oxfordian to Tithonian ages of the late Jurassic Period of...
. Its fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
remains were found in the Kalazha Formation
Kalazha Formation
The Kalazha Formation is a geological formation in Xinjiang, China whose strata date back to the Late Jurassic. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.-Vertebrate paleofauna:-References:...
, which dates to the late Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
Period. The type (and only known) species, Hudiesaurus sinojapanorum, is known from only two incomplete specimens. The type specimen (IVPP V 11120) is represented only by a very large vertebra. Another partial skeleton from an apparently smaller individual, consisting of a nearly complete front leg and teeth, has also been assigned to this species. Both specimens were described by Dong in 1997. Although the specimens are fragmentary, Hudiesaurus is believed to have been very large, even for sauropods, and may have reached 30m (or over 100 ft) in length.
External links
- "How big was Hudiesaurus?" Sauropod Vertebra Picture of the Week, January 17, 2008
- Hudiesaurus in the Dinosaur Encyclopaedia
- http://www.thescelosaurus.com/eusauropoda.htm