Yunnanosaurus

Yunnan lizard

• Yunnan · Chinese (place name) · the Chinese province of Yunnan, where the fossils were found
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name combines Yunnan, the province in southwestern China where the first fossils were found, with the Greek word "sauros", meaning lizard. It was chosen to mark the place of discovery. The name therefore means "Yunnan lizard".

Named by

Young

Year named

1942

Period

Early Jurassic

Found in

Lufeng Formation, Yunnan Province, China

A sauropodomorph (an early long-necked plant-eating dinosaur, not a true sauropod). The type species is Yunnanosaurus huangi. The exact stages of the fossils are not given here because they are debated.