Yangchuanosaurus

dinosaur · predator · China · Jurassic

Powerful hunter. Yangchuanosaurus was the biggest predator in its ancient Chinese landscape, using sharp teeth and claws to hunt other dinosaurs like the massive long-necked sauropods and armored stegosaurs.

Asian T-Rex cousin. Though it lived on the other side of the world, Yangchuanosaurus was very similar in size and shape to Allosaurus, a famous predator that roamed North America and Europe during the same time period.

Jurassic timeframe. This dinosaur lived during the Middle to Late Jurassic period, hundreds of millions of years ago when China looked completely different than it does today.

Named after its home. Yangchuanosaurus was named after Yongchuan, the area in China where scientists discovered its fossils in the Upper Shaximiao Formation.

Shared its world. Yangchuanosaurus lived alongside other incredible dinosaurs including Mamenchisaurus and Omeisaurus, which were enormous long-necked herbivores, and several different types of stegosaurs with plates along their backs.