The gigantic creature Qianjiangsaurus changshengi roamed Southwestern China approximately 70 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous period.
According to Sci-News, in 2022, Chinese paleontologists discovered fossil remains of this colossal creature in the Zhengyang Formation in Chongqing.
Although incomplete, the skeleton was sufficient for the research team led by Ts Hai Xing from the National Museum of Natural History in China, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, and the Canadian Museum of Nature to identify a completely new dinosaur species.
Reconstructed image of the new creature discovered in Chongqing, China – (Photo: Hai Xing/SCI-NEWS).
The new species has been named Qianjiangsaurus changshengi, a member of Hadrosauroidea, a diverse branch of bird-hipped dinosaurs featuring a wide variety of forms.
Other members of this dinosaur branch have been excavated from various locations across Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and even Antarctica.
They represent an important part of the terrestrial ecosystem during the Cretaceous period.
According to the species description published in the scientific journal Cretaceous Research, Qianjiangsaurus changshengi is a gigantic creature with a hefty appearance, measuring up to 8 meters in length.
Despite its size, it was a gentle herbivore. It also possessed distinct features typical of its lineage, such as a duck-bill and complex teeth.
What is particularly interesting is that the skeleton of this creature exhibits several transitional characteristics between two different groups within the Hadrosauroidea lineage, providing paleontologists with a crucial piece of the evolutionary puzzle of this lineage.
It also represents the second Hadrosauroidea dinosaur species discovered in Southern China, alongside the previously identified Nanningosaurus dashiensis.
This lineage further illustrates the connection between the Zhengyang Formation and the Djadokhta and Baruungoyot formations in Mongolia, aiding paleontologists in shaping the habitat of dinosaurs in Asia during the Cretaceous period, a golden age for these magnificent creatures.
