- Yangchuanosaurus
Taxobox
name = "Yangchuanosaurus"
fossil_range =Late Jurassic
image_width = 250px
image_caption =
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
superordo =Dinosaur ia
ordo =Saurischia
subordo =Theropoda
infraordo =Carnosauria
familia =Sinraptoridae
genus = "Yangchuanosaurus"
genus_authority = Dong "et al.", 1978
subdivision_ranks =Species
subdivision =
*"Y. shangyouensis" Dong "et al.", 1978 (type)
*"Y. magnus" Taxobox_authority | author = Dong, Zhou & Zhang | date = 1983"Yangchuanosaurus" was a
theropod dinosaur that lived in China during the Late Jurassic period, and was similar in size and appearance to itsNorth America n contemporary, "Allosaurus ". It hails from theUpper Shaximiao Formation and was the largestpredator in a landscape which included thesauropod s "Mamenchisaurus " and "Omeisaurus " as well as the Stegosaurs "Chialingosaurus ", "Tuojiangosaurus " and "Chungkingosaurus "Discovery and species
In 1976, an almost complete
skeleton of what was to be named "Yangchuanosaurus shangyouensis" was uncovered by a construction worker during the construction of theShangyou Reservoir Dam inYangshuan County inSichuan Province. Since then further skeletons have been recovered."Yangchuanosaurus" species
*"Y. shangyouensis" Taxobox_authority | author = Dong, Li, Zhou & Chang | date = 1979
*"Y. magnus" Taxobox_authority | author = Dong, Zhou & Zhang | date = 1983Gregory S. Paul (1988) regarded this genus as the same as "
Metriacanthosaurus ", but this has not been supported.Description
"Yangchuanosaurus shangyouensis" reached about 7
metre s long (23 ft) and had askull around 80 cm long (32 in). Its relative "Y. magnus" grew larger still; up to 10 metres long (33 ft), with a skull up to 1 metre (3 ft) in length. There was a bony knob on its nose and multiple hornlets and ridges, similar to "Ceratosaurus ". It had a massive tail that was about half its length.Popular Culture
*The original skeleton of "Yangchuanosaurus shangyouensis" is on display at the Municipal Museum of
Chongqing , as is some material of "Y. magnus". Another, recovered from Xuanhan County in Sichuan, is on display in the Beijing Museum of Natural History.References
**
*"Fantastic Facts About Dinosaurs" (ISBN 0-7525-3166-2)
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