A newly identified genus and species of the Eusauropod dinosaur has been discovered from a fossilized partial skeleton, which includes almost complete skulls, located in Ganshu province, China.
The newly recognized dinosaur species existed during the mid-Jurassic period, roughly 165 million years ago.
Named niedu, it is an early representative of the long-necked, exclusively herbivorous dinosaurs known as Eusauropoda.
“Sauropod dinosaurs, which are massive herbivores from the early Jurassic to the late Cretaceous period, have been found across all continents,” stated Dr. Ning Li, a researcher at a Chinese university of Earth Sciences.
“Due to global warming events occurring during the Late Jurassic, Eusauropod has become the sole surviving sauropod lineage.”
“In the middle and late Jurassic, non-neosauropods thrived, including taxa like Schnosaurus, Omeisaurus, and core forms of Mamenchisaurus.
Fossils of niedu were gathered from the base of the Xinhe Formation near Jinchan city in Gansu province, northwestern China.
The specimen comprises five cervical vertebrae and nearly complete mandibles, alongside 29 distinct caudal vertebrae.
The skull of niedu measures approximately 31 cm in length and 12.5 cm in height.
A sauropod dinosaur being chased by two carnivorous dinosaurs. Image credit: Lida Xing.
“Finding a well-preserved skull is uncommon in non-neosauropod eusauropods due to their fragility,” the paleontologist noted.
“The skull of niedu is exceptionally well maintained and nearly complete.”
“However, the left side of the skull shows deformation due to internal compression.”
“Most cranial sutures are clearly visible on niedu,” they added.
According to the researchers, niedu marks the earliest sauropod discovered in Gansu province.
“niedu is significant,” they concluded.
“We also present more information that enhances our understanding of sauropod evolutionary history in northwestern China.”
The paper was published in the journal Scientific Reports on May 23rd.
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N. Li et al. 2025. A new Eusauropod (dinosaurs, sauropods) from the central Jurassic in China. Sci Rep 15, 17936; doi:10.1038/s41598-025-03210-5
Source: www.sci.news
