Yingshanosaurus: 15 Facts You Won’t Believe!

Yingshanosaurus (Yingshanosaurus jichuanensis) was a stegosaurian dinosaur of the Late Jurassic Age, which existed about 155 million years ago. It resided in China and was a herbivore, just like other Stegosaurians. Very little information is available on this dinosaur genus because the only fossil specimen of this species has been lost, according to a 2006 paper by Susannah Maidment, a paleontologist of the Natural British History Museum in London. In 1983, the first fossil of the stegosaurian dinosaur was excavated by Zhou Shiwu and his team in Sichuan, southwest China. Later in 1994, Zhu Songlin fully described this dinosaur that lived in the late Jurassic period.

The Yingshanosaurus was about 18 ft (5.4 m) tall with a thighbone of 67.5 cm in length. Its bodyweight was about 1.6 T (1451.5 kg). The fossil specimen suggests that this dinosaur possessed wing-like spines, with an average length of about 2.6 ft (80 cm). These spines or bony plates on their back were quite similar in shape and size to those of the Gigantspinosaurus. The meaning of its name, Yingshanosaurus, is 'Golden Hills reptile'. Keep on reading to know more fun facts on this dinosaur of the late Jurassic period.

If you liked reading this article, then do check out facts about the Tarascosaurus and Jingshanosaurus, here at Kidadl.

How do you pronounce 'Yingshanosaurus '?

Yingshanosaurus is pronounced as 'Ying-shan-o-sore-us'.

What type of dinosaur was a Yingshanosaurus?

It is a Stegosaurian dinosaur of the genus Yingshanosaurus.

In which geological period did the Yingshanosaurus roam the earth?

Yingshanosaurus jichuanensis roamed the earth during the late Jurassic period. It was during this period that the Sauropod dinosaur family came into existence, along with some largest dinosaur species that lived and reigned. The mighty Brachiosaurus species also lived in this epoch. The warm and wet climate that prevailed during this period, led to the origin of so many dinosaur species, who thrived well in the lush green vegetation.

When did the Yingshanosaurus become extinct?

This dinosaur species, with bony plates on its back, existed about 155 million years ago. Natural disasters, like climate change, the rise of sea level, large volumes of poisonous carbon monoxide gas emission, wiped out most of them. They were endemic to China and it is believed that these creatures did not undergo any adaptive radiation, and therefore succumbed to the harsh environmental conditions. Another factor that contributed to their extinction, was the predatory dinosaur species, which hunted them down.

Where did a Yingshanosaurus live?

The first skeletal specimen of this dinosaur was excavated by Zhou Shiwu and his team from Sichuan, southwest China. It was him, who coined the name Yingshanosaurus.

What was a Yingshanosaurus's habitat?

This dinosaur with bony plates on its back inhabited grasslands, forests, and woodlands. They were herbivorous dinosaurs and foraged upon various kinds of plants and tree branches.

Who did a live Yingshanosaurus with?

They may have lived in groups or foraged alone. During their mating season, they probably lived in pairs.

How long did a Yingshanosaurus live?

No available information on the lifespan of this species of the Late Jurassic period is low. Normally, the dinosaurs had a lifespan of 20-30 years or even more in some species.

How did they reproduce?

Although not much information is available on these herbivorous dinosaurs, we do know that they were egg-laying animals, just like other dinosaurs, for example, the Sphaerotholus and the Crichtonsaurus. These dinosaurs laid massive eggs, which were amniotic in nature. The developing embryos inside received complete nourishment from this amniotic egg. Their eggs were protected communally and the hatchlings developed rapidly once they were out.

What did a Yingshanosaurus look like?

This herbivore dinosaur that once roamed in China, had a body length of about 16.4 ft (5 m) with 1.6 tons (1451 kg) of weight. It had bony plates on its back, which helped its body to remain warm. The spines on the shoulder were trapezoidal in size with a narrow shaft and protruded elevation on the outer side. The spines on the back of its body were rather small and triangular in shape. These bony spines and a large body definitely gave them an intriguing look. Zhu Songlin fully described this dinosaur of the Late Jurassic age in the year 1994. Just like other Stegosaurian members, this species also had small heads. Its thighbone and humerus were 2.2 ft (67.5 cm) and 1.3 ft (40 cm) respectively. The four sacral vertebrae were solidly attached to the pelvis. Their neural spines associated with the dorsal vertebrae had an expanded transversal top with a lateral plate-like appearance. These skeletal bones were lost, which was reported in a 2006 paper by Susannah Maidment, a paleontologist of the Natural British History Museum in London. Due to the incomplete skeletal specimen, a full depiction of this species cannot be given.

How many bones did a Yingshanosaurus have?

The total number of bones possessed by the late Jurassic dinosaur species is not known. However, we do know that its holotype CV OO722 was excavated from the late Upper Shaximiao formation. It comprised a fragmentary skull belonging to an adult Stegosaurian dinosaur. It included seven caudal bones, seven chevrons, along with a set of dorsal vertebrae which were in association with the sacrum and pelvis. Other than these, the skeletal remains also contained a left thighbone, a left humerus, a left radius, a left scapulocoracoid, and a left second metacarpal. Several shoulder spines and back plates were also included in this holotype. The neck and the tail bones were missing.

How did they communicate?

Just like other dinosaurs, these Stegosaurians communicated by visual and vocal means. They produced loud grunts along with cracked calls, that were definitely audible from quite a distance.

How big was a Yingshanosaurus?

The Yingshanosaurus dinosaurs of China were about 16.4 ft (5 m) in length with an average height of 18 ft (5.4 m). They were definitely longer than the Hypsilophodon, which were only about 7.5 ft (2.3 m) in length.

How fast could a Yingshanosaurus move?

Their exact running speed is not known. However, we do know that these Stegosaurians were not fast runners.

How much did a Yingshanosaurus weigh?

The Yingshanosaurus of China weighed about 1.6 tons (1451 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

No specific name was given to the male and female dinosaur species.

What would you call a baby Yingshanosaurus?

A baby Yingshanosaurus of the Late Jurassic period can be called a hatchling or a nestling, due to the fact that they were egg-laying animals.

What did they eat?

This dinosaur was a herbivore in nature. Its diet included various types of plants and tree branches. Their muscular hind legs helped them to reach tall trees and forage upon them.

How aggressive were they?

Although they lived with quite a massive body, it is safe to consider them not aggressive in nature as their diet solely included plants.

Did you know...

The Yingshanosaurus prehistoric wildlife facts were depicted in Dinosaur ABC, which is a children's book.

The largest plates that were found on the back of this dinosaur measured about 0.5 ft (15 cm) high along with a 0.6 ft (20 cm) basal length. This was almost similar in structure to the plates observed on the Hesperosaurus species.

It was Zhu Songling, who included the Yingshanosaurus within the Stegosauridae family.

Were yingshanosaurus territorial?

There is a lack of information on their nature, whether they were territorial or not. However, we do know that most of the Jurassic dinosaur species were territorial in nature. They guarded their boundaries where they foraged and also were protective of their eggs.

What does Yingshanosaurus mean?

The word Yingshanosaurus is coined by Zhou Shiwu, the meaning of which is 'Golden Hill reptile'.

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 Coelurus facts, or Aublysodon fun facts for kids.

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

Image one by Conty.

Image two by Thomas Quine.

*We've been unable to source an image of Yingshanosaurus and have used an image of Stegosaurus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Yingshanosaurus, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected].