A significant dinosaur discovery has been made in southern China, where a team of paleontologists unearthed a nearly complete skull that appears to belong to an entirely new species. The fossilized skull, found in Yunnan Province’s Lufeng Dinosaur National Geopark, was determined to be a sauropodomorph, a group of herbivorous dinosaurs that includes giant long-necked creatures like Brachiosaurus.
The research team named the animal Lishulong wangi, which roughly translates to “chestnut dragon.” Preliminary estimates suggest that Lishulong wangi may have grown up to 33 feet (10 meters) in length. The discovery was published last month in the scientific journal PeerJ.
According to the team’s findings, Lishulong wangi has the largest skull of known sauropodomorphs from the Lufeng formation, indicating that further research is needed to better understand the size and shape of these ancient creatures. Experts believe that Lishulong wangi was likely a herbivore, distinguished by its larger nostrils compared to its sister taxon Yunnanosaurus.
The discovery highlights China’s rich dinosaur heritage, which has yielded numerous significant finds in recent years. Last year, a team revealed a fossil of a mammal apparently preying on a beaked dinosaur, while a group published evidence of a mammal’s foot inside a fossilized Microraptor the previous year.
The discovery of Lishulong wangi may provide insights into the evolutionary history and diversity of sauropodomorphs across ancient supercontinents. According to the team, early sauropodomorphs declined in some regions but thrived and diversified in others, such as China. The newly described fossil is now on display at the Lufeng World Dinosaur Valley museum.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/enormous-dinosaur-skull-uncovers-a-previously-unknown-species-2000549301