Yingshanosaurus Yingshanosaurus

Yingshanosaurus (meaning “Yingshan lizard”) is an extinct genus of stegosaurian dinosaurs from the Middle Jurassic of what is now Southwestern China. It is known from a partial skeleton discovered in 1983, including back, sacrum, and tail vertebrae, forelimb and hindlimb bones, shoulder and hip bones, and several osteoderms, including plates and a shoulder spine. The genus contains a single species, Yingshanosaurus jichuanensis, named and described in 1994. For some time after its discovery and scientific description, many paleontologists were unaware of the Chinese research published on it and questioned its validity.

Like other stegosaurs, Yingshanosaurus was a slow-moving, quadrupedal herbivore. At 4 – 5 m long, it is a medium-sized member of this group. It’s forelimbs are relatively short in relation to its hindlimbs, and it has a wide torso with a broad back.