At a Glance
- Researchers have identified a new long-necked dinosaur species, Jinchuanloong niedu, from a partial skeleton and a remarkably well-preserved skull found in northwestern China’s Gansu Province.
- This ten-meter-long sauropod, dating back about 165 million years to the Middle Jurassic, helps fill a significant gap in the fossil record of early dinosaur evolution.
- The creature is classified as a non-neosauropod eusauropod, meaning it belongs to an earlier branch of the sauropod family tree before more famous giants later emerged.
- Analysis of its skull revealed a unique combination of primitive traits and more advanced features, marking Jinchuanloong as a key transitional species for scientists studying sauropods.
- This important fossil provides crucial information on the diversity of dinosaurs in ancient Asia and sheds new light on the complex evolution of these massive herbivorous animals.
Researchers have identified a new species of long-necked dinosaur, Jinchuanloong niedu, that roamed northwestern China during the Middle Jurassic period. Based on a partial skeleton with a remarkably complete skull, the discovery provides a rare glimpse into the early evolution of sauropods, the group of massive, four-legged herbivores that includes iconic giants like Brachiosaurus. The finding helps clarify a pivotal time in the history of these dinosaurs when different lineages were diversifying across the globe.
The new species belongs to a large clade, or evolutionary group, known as Eusauropoda, which means “true sauropods.” This group includes most sauropods that existed after an extinction event in the Early Jurassic. Within this group is a highly successful branch called Neosauropoda, or “new sauropods,” which contains many of the most famous and gigantic species. Jinchuanloong, however, is a non-neosauropod, meaning it represents an earlier branch of the eusauropod family tree. Fossils from these intermediate forms are scarce, especially ones with intact skulls, making this discovery particularly significant.
Published in the journal Scientific Reports, the study details the fossil recovered from the Xinhe Formation in China’s Gansu Province, dating back approximately 165 to 168 million years ago. The remains include the skull and lower jaw, the first five neck vertebrae, and 29 tail vertebrae. Analysis of the skull revealed a unique combination of traits. Its nostril opening was positioned like those of more primitive sauropods. However, it also possessed a small hole, or foramen, in its upper jaw bone—a feature typically seen in the more advanced neosauropods. This mix of features marks Jinchuanloong as a key transitional form.
Based on the fossil evidence, which suggests the individual was not yet fully grown, scientists estimate Jinchuanloong was about 10 meters long. The discovery enriches the known diversity of dinosaurs from Middle Jurassic Asia and provides crucial anatomical data. The well-preserved skull, in particular, offers new evidence for understanding how the heads of these giant herbivores evolved over millions of years. “The discovery of Jinchuanloong niedu enriches the diversity of early diverging sauropods and provides additional information to help understand the evolutionary history of sauropods in northwest China,” the authors write in a statement to Phys.org.
References
- Jackson, J. & Phys.org. (2025, June 3). Nearly complete dinosaur skull reveals a new sauropod species from East Asia. Phys.Org; Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-dinosaur-skull-reveals-sauropod-species.html
- Li, N., Zhang, X., Ren, X., Li, D., & You, H. (2025). A new eusauropod (Dinosauria, sauropodomorpha) from the middle jurassic of gansu, china. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 17936. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-03210-5
