Euhelopus

sauropod · China · Early Cretaceous · long-necked

Massive four-legged plant-eater. Euhelopus was a huge sauropod dinosaur that walked on four legs and munched on plants during the Early Cretaceous period, between 143 and 133 million years ago.

Unique fossil discovery. Euhelopus was the first dinosaur ever scientifically studied from China, found in 1913, rediscovered in 1922, excavated in 1923, and analyzed by paleontologist T'an that same year. This made it extremely important to science.

Rare complete skull. Unlike most sauropod fossils, Euhelopus had a relatively complete skull preserved, which helped scientists understand what these giant dinosaurs looked like.

Stretched-out build. Euhelopus had longer front legs than back legs and a long neck for reaching tall plants, similar to other massive sauropods like brachiosaurids and titanosaurs.

Lived in ancient China. This dinosaur lived in what is now Shandong Province in China during the Early Cretaceous, when the climate and landscape were very different from today.