Huayangosaurus was a mid-sized stegosaurid dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic period. Discovered in the fossil beds of Sichuan Province, China, this herbivorous dinosaur roamed the Earth approximately 165 million years ago. With its distinctive bony plates and defensive tail and shoulder spikes, Huayangosaurus is one of the earliest known stegosaurids.
Huayangosaurus Facts
- Type of Dinosaur: Stegosaurid
- Diet: Herbivore
- Continent(s) Found: Asia (specifically China)
- Length: Approximately 4 meters (13 feet)
- Weight: Estimated around 500 kilograms (1100 pounds)
- Period: Middle Jurassic (about 165 million years ago)
What Did Huayangosaurus Look Like?
Huayangosaurus was a relatively small but heavily built stegosaurid dinosaur, notable for its unique and somewhat primitive features compared to later members of its family. It measured approximately 4 meters (13 feet) in length and weighed around 500 kilograms (1100 pounds).
This mid-Jurassic dinosaur had a robust body with a series of bony plates along its back and two pairs of spikes on its tail, which likely served as defensive mechanisms against predators. Positioned on each shoulder was a long spike.
The plates of Huayangosaurus were smaller and less elaborate than those of its more famous relative, Stegosaurus.
Huayangosaurus also had a broad, low-slung body supported by sturdy legs, with its hind legs being longer and more powerful than its front legs. Its head was small relative to its body, equipped with leaf-shaped teeth suitable for its herbivorous diet, consisting mainly of low-lying plants.
What Does The Name Huayangosaurus Mean?
The name Huayangosaurus means “Huayang lizard.” The name is derived from “Huayang,” which is an ancient name for a region in Sichuan Province, China, where the dinosaur’s fossils were discovered, and the Greek word “saurus,” which means lizard.
What Type Of Dinosaur Was Huayangosaurus?
Huayangosaurus was a type of stegosaurid dinosaur. Stegosaurids are characterized by the double row of bony plates running along their backs and spikes on their tails.
These herbivorous dinosaurs are part of the larger group known as thyreophorans, or armored dinosaurs, which is divided into two main branches: Stegosauria (home of Huayangosaurus, Stegosaurus, and related dinosaurs) and Ankylosauria, home of dinosaurs such as Ankylosaurus.
Where Did Huayangosaurus Live?
Huayangosaurus lived in what is now the Sichuan Province of China.
The first fossils were unearthed in the early 1980s in the Dashanpu Quarry near the city of Zigong, which is renowned for its rich deposits of Middle Jurassic dinosaur fossils.
A team of paleontologists, including Dong Zhiming, a prominent Chinese paleontologist, described and named the species in 1982.
When Did Huayangosaurus Live?
Huayangosaurus lived during the Middle Jurassic period, approximately 165 million years ago, within the Bajocian to Bathonian stages of the Jurassic Period.
What Dinosaurs Did Huayangosaurus Live With?
Other dinosaurs found in China’s Shaximiao Formation include the large sauropod Shunosaurus, the predatory theropod Gasosaurus, which likely posed a threat to herbivores like Huayangosaurus; and the smaller, more agile Ornithischian, Xiaosaurus.
