Fossils unearthed on a hillside in northwestern China are forcing scientists to rethink the history of a dinosaur lineage that produced the largest animals ever to walk the planet.
Scientists on Tuesday announced the discovery of Lingwulong shenqi, an early member of the well-known group of plant-eating dinosaurs called sauropods with long necks, long tails, small heads and pillar-like legs. Lingwulong lived 174 million years ago during the Jurassic Period.
Its name means “amazing dragon from Lingwu,” the closest city to the site where a farmer spotted the fossils while
herding sheep.
The scientists excavated bones from at least eight to 10 Lingwulong individuals, the largest of which was about 17.5 metres (57 feet) long, said paleontologist Xing Xu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who led the study published in the
