Fun Qijianglong Facts For Kids

 The Qijianglong was a Sauropod dinosaur that existed in the late Jurassic period, approximately 160 million years ago. It is regarded as the Dragon of Qijiang, a part of southern China.

This species of dinosaur was enormous with long neck vertebrae, which was half the length of its entire body. This neck is described by paleontologists as lightweight because the bones were filled with air.

The extremely long-neck skeleton is quite a rarity when it comes to their small head size.

The presence of interlocking joints in the neck vertebrae indicates that their neck was stiff and not capable of moving sideways. This species, which once roamed Qijiang, now a part of China, is described as massive creatures with a height of 25 ft (762 cm).

These dinosaurs weighed about 10,000-20,000 lb (4,535.9-9,071.9 kg) and were herbivorous in nature. They possessed a long, scaly tail that gave them a terrifying look, which they could use to ward off their predators.

The discovery of this new Sauropod dinosaur by the famous paleontologist, Xing Lida, surfaced the news with unbelievable dinosaur facts gained from his Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology published in 2015. Keep on reading to know more intriguing facts about this new Sauropod dinosaur.

If you like reading this article, then do check out the Rapetosaurus and the Vulcanodon, here on Kidadl.

Qijianglong Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce Qijianglong?

The new Sauropod dinosaur discovered is called Qijianglong and pronounced ke-je-ang-long.

What type of dinosaur was a Qijianglong?

The Qijianglong was a Sauropod dinosaur of the late Jurassic period.

In which geological period did Qijianglong roam the Earth?

The Qijianglong species of dinosaurs roamed the Earth during the late Jurassic period.

When did the Qijianglong become extinct?

This species of dinosaurs became extinct approximately 160 million years ago.

Where did the Qijianglong live?

This enormous dinosaur resided in China millions of years ago.

What was the Qijianglong's habitat?

This species of dinosaurs inhabited forests, grasslands, and places of dense vegetation, where they foraged on a variety of trees and plants.

Who did the Qijianglong live with?

The Qijianglong was thought to be a solitary animal and also moved around in herds.

How long did the Qijianglong live?

Not much data is available on the life expectancy of these dinosaurs. They are an extinct animal species.

How did they reproduce?

The Qijianglong species, just like other dinosaurs, laid huge eggs that were amniotic in nature. It means that the fetus was well supplied with nutrients and oxygen through the amniotic fluid.

These eggs had an extremely hard outer shell and were mostly laid in burrows. Although the breeding season and other factors are unknown, we do know that female dinosaurs were protective in nature and took care of their eggs and babies.

Females also underwent a physiological change during their gestation period. Sexual dimorphism was present, as was seen in other dinosaur species.

Qijianglong Fun Facts

What did the Qijianglong look like?

These dinosaurs had an extremely long neck skeleton, which was half the length of their entire body size like the Barapasaurus. It was about 25 ft (762 cm) tall and 49-65 ft (1,500-2,000 cm) in length.

This species had an enormous bodyweight of between 10,000-20,000 lb (4,535.9-9,071.9 kg) or even more, and this news shocked many people. Their neck vertebrae bones were filled with air. Although the neck was long, the head was much smaller in size.

In fact, paleontologists claim that the head was stiff and was not capable of moving sideways. Their long neck contributed to their herbivorous nature. They could easily reach trees of great heights.

The Qijiang guokr species also had a scaly upper body, which gave them an intimidating appearance. They possibly could have used this feature to ward off any predators.

Interlocking joints present in between vertebrae in their necks was first explained by the famous paleontologist, Xing Lida, in his published online journal. Overall, their massive body size made them look like a dragon.

It possessed four pillar-like legs. The forelimbs were longer than the hindlimbs. Their entire body weight fell on their neck and upper body.

How many bones did a Qijianglong have?

The Qijianglong is known to be a partially completed fossil skeleton. Therefore, we do not know the total number of skeleton bones present in its body. However, Xing Lida mentioned the presence of 61 bones including vertebrae, the left pubic bone, ribs, and chevrons. They had two pedal phalanges.

How did they communicate?

Not much data is available on the mode of communication of the guokr species of Qijiang. We can assume that these dinosaurs showcased reptilian behavior, as they are considered to be a giant reptile species.

Just like Quaesitosaurus dinosaurs, the Qijianglong species also displayed territorial aggression by vocal grunts. They were also known to have other defensive postures. Along with their vocal communication, it is believed that they possessed visual communication skills as well.

How big was the Qijianglong?

The Dragon of Qijiang was about 49-65 ft (1,500-2,000 cm) in length and 25 ft (762 cm) in height. They were larger than Thotobolosaurus dinosaurs, and their neck skeleton length covered half of their entire body length.

Although these are considered to be enormous in size, this species of the late Jurassic period was much smaller than the gigantic Supersaurus.

How fast could a Qijianglong move?

There is not much data available on the speed of the Dragon of Qijiang. This species that once existed in China had an enormous body size with shorter hind limbs. Hence, it can be concluded that these guokr genus dinosaurs were not fast runners.

How much did a Qijianglong weigh?

The Qijianglong of China weighed between 10,000-20,000 lb (4,535.9-9,071.9 kg), and some of their species weighed even more. Xing Lida mentioned in his journal that this dinosaur species had a huge neck skeleton. This long skeleton supported its entire body weight.

What were male and female names of the species?

No such specific names are given to males and females of the species of Qijianglong of China. However, we can apply the suffixes saurus and saura to the male and female respectively.

What would you call a baby Qijianglong?

As dinosaurs are a reptilian species, their babies hatched out from gigantic eggs. Hence, the baby dinosaur can be called a hatchling or a nestling.

What did they eat?

The Dragon of Qijiang was herbivorous in nature and their diet consisted of a variety of plants. Their long necks enabled them to reach long distances to leaves up high.

How aggressive were they?

Although sufficient data is not available on their aggressive behavior, we can conclude that, just like other dinosaur species, this species of China was territorial in nature. They maintained their boundary and moved in herds. Their long, scaly tail and upper body were used to ward off their predators.

Did you know...

The Qijianglong guokr belonged to the family of long-necked dinosaurs called Mamenchisauridae. This species is thought to have undergone adaptive radiation in different parts of Asia.

The paleontologist Xing Lida also explained that no other species of the Mamenchisauridae family possessed such a long neck. It is possible that this species of the Sauropoda genus might have been isolated due to a large barrier like an ocean or a sea, which eventually restricted their migration to other parts of the world.

According to Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest, these Sauropoda genus dinosaurs might have lost in competition with more powerful carnivorous species.

Some of these factors are attributed to the extinction of this species. The local museum of Qijang has kept the skeleton of this dinosaur.

Why are they called the Qijianglong?

The name Qijianglong means Dragon of Qijiang, which used to be a part of China. In 2006, its fossils were discovered in a large quarry in the Qijiang district. Thus, the genus was named Qijianglong after the district where fossils of this species were discovered and examined.

How strong were the Qijianglong’s teeth?

The famous paleontologist, Xing Lida, mentioned that this species was herbivorous in nature, and therefore, it can be concluded that their canines were not strong. Rather, they had strong molars and premolars that helped them crush and grind tree leaves.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures by reading our Atlantosaurus facts and our Janenschia facts.

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

*The first image is by Ghedo.

*We've been unable to source an image of a Qijianglong and have used an image of a Barapasaurus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a Qijianglong, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com