Jinzhousaurus (meaning Jinzhou lizard) is an extinct genus of herbivorous hadrosauroid dinosaur that lived in Early Cretaceous of China. The type species is Jinzhousaurus yangi.
Discovery and Naming[]
The holotype (IVPP V12691) was found near Baicaigou in Yixian County in Yixian Formation, China. It was eventually described in 2001 by scientists Wang Xiao-lin and Xu Xing. The generic name combines the town of Jinzhou and Sauros, while the specific name is named after Yang Zhongjian, who founded Chinese Paleontology.
Description[]
Most of Jinzhousaurus fossils have been found fully articulated, which is very useful for research. It consists of nearly complete skull, compressed on a slab. It has a length about 7 meters (23 ft) and its skull is about half a meter long. Its snout is elongated with large nares and lacking an ant orbital fenestra. The back of the skull was wide with a small crest on top. The dentary of the lower jaw has seventeen tooth positions.
Classification[]
It is classified as a member of Hadrosauroidea. There was a long debate over whether Jinzhousaurus was in the same group as Iguanodon or Hadrosaurus.
Gallery[]
