Fun Chialingosaurus Facts For Kids

Are you interested to know about different species of dinosaurs? If yes, then you're in for a treat, as we are going to let you know about one of the oldest stegosaurs that walked this earth. The Chialingosaurus was alive around 160 million years ago during the Late Jurassic Era, much before the predominant stegosaurs have been born. The Chialingosaurus is mainly defined as a genus that contains the species Chialingosaurus kuani. The bones of this dinosaur were first discovered near south China. It's one of the key dinosaur species to be found in Asia.

The paleontologist Yang Zhongjian, who was also known as C. C. Young worked extensively with the specimens of this Late Jurassic era dinosaur and assigned it the classification of Chialingosaurus. As a herbivore, this species is said to predominantly feed on fern and cycads, which were widely found in Asia when the Chialingosaurus was alive. These dinosaurs were said to be much smaller than the stegosaurs that appeared later than the Jurassic age. And, even though very few things are known about this genus or species, scientists are often debating if it still has a valid classification or not. So, keep reading to learn more exciting Chialingosaurus facts.

Also, check out our articles on Chubutisaurus and Aragosaurus to explore animals present in the Jurassic age.

How do you pronounce 'Chialingosaurus'?

The name of this dinosaur genus is pronounced as 'chialin-gosaurus'. This name comes from the discovery of its first specimen from a site close to the Chialing or Jialing River in Southern China.

What type of dinosaur was a Chialingosaurus?

The Chialingosaurus is classified as under the broader family of Stegosauridae and suborder Stegosauria. It's thought to be one of the oldest stegosaur species that lived around 160 million years ago.

In which geological period did Chialingosaurus roam the earth?

The period when Chialingosaurus was present is usually estimated to be the Late Jurassic Era.

When did the Chialingosaurus become extinct?

We don't know the exact period when Chialingosaurus species left the earth, but it can be said to have been gone extinct with the Late Jurassic Era. Compared to it, other stegosaurus species went extinct around 66 million years ago.

Where did Chialingosaurus live?

The fossil remains of the Chialingosaurus were found near the Chialing River present in south China. The credit of discovering the fossils is given to Kuan Yaowu or Guan Yao-Wu who collected them in 1957. The fossils are said to have been discovered from an Upper Shaximiao Formation site.

What was the Chialingosaurus' habitat?

We don't have much information about the places inhabited by the dinosaurs of this genus. But, as a herbivore, it must have lived around trees ferns, and cycads to get an adequate amount of food. These are also classified as terrestrial dinosaurs that walked using all four limbs.

Who did Chialingosaurus live with?

Well, we don't really know much about the social structures followed by any dinosaurs, and that includes this genus that falls under the Stegosauria suborder. However, it might have cohabited with other herbivore Stegosauria species that as the Mamenchisaurus and Kentrosaurus.

How long did a Chialingosaurus live?

The Chialingosaurus is said to have lived on the earth about 160 million years ago. However, we still don't have enough specimens to determine the lifespan of this species. And, the partial skeleton specimen that we have been able to gather come from young or subadult dinosaurs. However, the apatosaurus and diplodocus dinosaurs are said to have had a lifespan of around 70-80 years.

How did they reproduce?

Dinosaurs are mainly thought to reproduce by laying eggs, and we don't think that it would have been any different for the ones that are part of the Chialingosaurus genus.

What did Chialingosaurus look like?

When it comes to the description of a Chialingosurus, you need to imagine the usual stegosaurus and size it down. Just like them, the dinosaurs of this genus also had scales on its body, which were concentrated on the neck and upper back. While spines may have been present from the lower back all the way down to the tip of its tail. Compared to its body, the head must have been quite tiny, and the hindlimbs were bigger than the forelimbs.

How many bones did a Chialingosaurus have?

To date, only partial skeleton remains have been discovered for the Chialingosaurus, so we can't tell the exact number of bones the dinosaur had. When you explore the remains with the holotype IVPP 2300 you will find a partial skeleton that came without a skull. It also had vertebrae, coracoids, humeri, and even three spines. These remains were found from the Upper Shaximiao Formation site of south China. Another specimen with the holotype CV 202 has been discovered that contains one portion of the skull along with some bones from the jaw and limbs.

How did they communicate?

We don't have much information about the communication process of dinosaurs, but it was most likely through different sounds and physical contact.

How big was the Chialingosaurus?

The average Chialingosaurus size is said to have been around 13 ft (4 m). But, it's an estimate from the skeletal remains found of this animal, and most scientists believe the bones to have come from young or subadult animals. So, we don't know the maximum Chialingosaurus height that an adult would have been able to achieve. Compared to it, stegosaurs from a later age had an average height of around 21 ft (6.5 m).

How fast could a Chialingosaurus move?

Compared to other dinosaur species, animals from the Stegosauria suborder were said to have a slower gait. Some sources site the speed range as 3.7-4.3 mph (6-7 kph). But, we don't know if the same speed applies to the Chialingosaurus dinosaur.

How much did a Chialingosaurus weigh?

We are yet to know about the exact weight of dinosaurs that belonged to this genus. However, some sources believe the Chialingosaurus weight range to be between 330-881 lb (150-400 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no separate names for the male and female of this species.

What would you call a baby Chialingosaurus?

The baby of Chialingosaurus dinosaurs can be called hatchlings.

What did they eat?

The Chialingosaurus is said to be a herbivorous genus. Even though we can never be sure about the food that was part of its diet, scientists believe that ferns and cycads were primarily eaten because of easy availability.

How aggressive were they?

We don't really know if these stegosaur dinosaurs were really aggressive. Moreover, the assumption that dinosaurs were inherently hostile is quite wrong. Even the carnivorous species would have only troubled itself into getting into a fight while catching prey.

Did you know...

Usually, the Chialingosaurus genus is only said to house the Chialingosaurus kuani species. But, in 1999, three individuals, Zhang Yuguang, Li Kui, and Cai Kaiji suggested a new species, Chialingosaurus guangyuanensis, but they weren't able to provide any conclusive descriptions.

Why are they called Chialingosaurus?

The Chialingosaurus is named so because the first discovery of skeletal fossil remains was found near the Chialing River present in south China. And, the suffix Saurus means lizard, so the name of this dinosaur genus stands as the Chialing lizard.

Who discovered Chialingosaurus?

The discovery of the partial skeleton remains of the Chialingosaurus kuani is attributed to Kuan Yaowu (Guan Yao-Wu), a geologist who found it in 1957 while working near the Chialing River situated in south China. However, Yang Zhongjian, the paleontologist who also went by the name of C. C. Young was the one to classify the species of Chialingosaurus kuani in 1959. He chose the specific name kuani to honor the person who discovered the fossils in the original site.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Aragosaurus facts, or Elopteryx facts.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable singing dinosaur coloring pages.