The Huabeisaurus is a sauropod dinosaur of the Late Cretaceous period and forms a significant link for understanding the evolution of sauropods in Asia. They are one of the most complete sauropods of Asia, which has helped many paleontologists question the family classification of other dinosaurs. The name Huabeisaurus translates to Huabei lizard of North China and is one of the most important links of early sauropods in Asia. Almost the entire skeleton of the dinosaur is complete which helps in interpreting the anatomical observations of the East Asian sauropods.
The type species of the Huabeisaurus is called Huabeisaurus allocotus. Numerous Huabeisaurus fossils were discovered from parts of northern China, which implies that the species was widespread in Asia. The fossils of Huabeisaurus were recovered from the sandy and conglomeratic late Cretaceous strata of the Huiquanpu Formation. It is believed that Huabeisaurus allocotus lived around 99.7 million years ago to 70.6 million years ago. To know more about the dinosaur keep on reading the article.
The name Huabeisaurus is pronounced as Hu-ah-bay-sore-us.
In Asia, there are three main families of sauropods, they are Euhelopodidae, Opisthocoelicaudinae, and Nemegtosauridae. Euhelopodidae is the most former family of sauropods in Asia and the Huabeisaurus are assigned to this family group.
The Huabeisaurus genus evolved in China during the upper Cretaceous period. These specimens date back to the Cenomanian and Maastrichtian stages of the Cretaceous period.
The Huabeisaurus became extinct during the Maastrichtian age of the upper cretaceous. They existed up to 70.6 million years ago and perished after that.
The fossils of Huabeisaurus were discovered from Zhaojiagou Town in Tianzhen County and Shanxi province of China. They were found from the Huiquanpu Formation of Shanxi Province. This stratum belonged to the late cretaceous animals.
The Huabeisaurus genus was found in China. These dinosaurs were terrestrial in nature and lived within the lush vegetation of the Cretaceous period. They preferred living in the wet and warm environment of China.
The only type species of Huabeisaurus, Huabeisaurus allocotus were discovered from numerous fossil remains of the dinosaurs. However, it is not known whether the animal lived solitary orin herds.
A Huabeisaurus lived from the Cenomanian stage of the upper Cretaceous up to the Maastrichtian stage of the Cretaceous. They came into existence around 99.7 million years ago, lived for about 20 million years, and finally became extinct 70.6 million years ago.
Like all other dinosaurs, Huabeisaurus also reproduced by laying eggs. However, there is no other information regarding the reproductive behavior of the Huabeisaurus. In science, it is not possible for researchers to conclude the reproductive characteristics of the dinosaur just by examining the fossils.
Most of the information about the Huabeisaurus is known from the dental formation of the dinosaur and the postcranial skeleton. Huabeisaurus was a midsized sauropod dinosaur but in comparison to other dinosaurs, they were large. Like all other sauropods, they were also characterized by a long tail and neck. Some of the cervical ribs exceeded the centrum length. The cervical vertebrae had a curved structure and the dorsal vertebrae extend along this tight curve. It was followed by the anterior caudal vertebrae. The neural spine did not appear to be fused with the one posterior to it. On the lateral surface of the mid caudal vertebral central, there were two longitudinal ridges on and the caudal rib is shortened. The ventral surfaces of sacral central were convex.
The total number of bones present in the body of Huabeisaurus is not known. Their anatomy is based on a nearly complete skeleton. Numerous fossils of the dinosaur were discovered including teeth, vertebrae, humerus, and partial limbs. However, it is not known how strong their teeth were.
Like all dinosaurs, Huabeisaurus also communicated using vocalizations.
The length of a Huabeisaurus ranged up to 66 ft (20 m). They were much bigger than Canardia.
The Huabeisaurus was a significantly large dinosaur which reduced the speed of the dinosaur. However, their speed is not determined.
The weight of a Huabeisaurus is unknown.
The male and female species do not have any specific names, both of them are referred to as Huabeisaurus.
A baby Huabeisaurus is referred to as nestling or hatchling.
The Huabeisaurus are herbivores in nature, this makes them less aggressive than the flesh eaters.
The fossils of Huabeisaurus allocotus, the type species, were discovered in the '90s and they were described for the first time in 2000 by Pang Qiqing and Cheng Zhengwu.
*We've been unable to source an image of Huabeisaurus and have used an image of Lesothosaurus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Huabeisaurus, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected]
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