Yangchuanosaurus shangyouensis - Carnivore Dinosaurs
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(yong-chwah-no-sor-uhss)
"Yangchuan lizard"
Describer Dong et al, 1978
Also Known As --
Type of Species shangyouensis
Order Saurischia
SubOrder Theropoda
InfraOrder Carnosauria
Micro-Order --
SuperFamily Allosauroidea
Family Sinraptoridae
SubFamily --
Size 33 feet (10 meters) long
Period Late Jurassic, 150 million years ago
Fossilsite Asia
Diet Carnivore
Yangchuanosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic Period about 150 million years ago in what is now Asia. Yangchuanosaurus was a large carnivore dinosaur. It grew to 33 feet (10 meters) in length and weighed up to 3 tons. It had a low crest that ran along the front of its snout from its nose to just in front of its eyes. The crest may have been color decorated.
It had a strong, short neck, and a large skull with jaws that were packed with sharp, serrated teeth. Like many large theropods, it had short arms with three clawed fingers on each hand and its feet had three toes, each with a large claw. Yangchuanosaurus walked on two powerful, muscular legs. Its tail was long and muscular, it was about half of the dinosaurs' total length.
Discovery
In 1976, a construction worker found the nearly complete skeleton of this
large carnivore, at the site of the Shangyou Dam, in the east of China.
