Yangchuanosaurus
- Length
- 8 m (26.2 ft)
- Period
- Middle Jurassic (168.3–145 Mya)
- Place
- North America · Europe · China
- Food
- Carnivore
- Clade
- Metriacanthosauridae
Yangchuanosaurus is an extinct genus of metriacanthosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in China from the Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic periods (Bathonian to Tithonian stages), and was similar (although slightly larger) in size and appearance to its North American and European relative, Allosaurus. Yangchuanosaurus hails from the Upper Shaximiao Formation and was the largest predator in a landscape that included the sauropods Mamenchisaurus and Omeisaurus and the stegosaurs Chialingosaurus, Tuojiangosaurus and Chungkingosaurus. This theropod was named after the area in which was discovered, Yongchuan, in China.
What we know
- Named by Dong et al., 1978.
- Body length estimated at about 8 m.
- Fossils found in North America and Europe.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Yangchuanosaurus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.