A Family of Dinosaurs as Tall as 10-Story Buildings Once Lived in China

Bali – Paleontologists have revealed a surprising revelation of dinosaur fossils in Sichuan, China. These fossils prove that giant, very large dinosaurs once lived. This finding has been named Tongnanlong zhimingi.

This newly identified species is estimated to be up to 29 meters long – the height of a 10-story building – making it one of the largest land animals ever recorded. The fossil was discovered in Tongnan District, Chongqing, in the Suining Formation, a geological layer from the Late Jurassic period approximately 147 million years old.

As reported by detikInet, the fossil remains were initially discovered at a construction site before being excavated and formally studied by a team led by Xuefang Wei from the China Chengdu Geological Survey Centre.

According to research published in scientific Reports, Tongnanlong zhimingi is part of the mamenchisauridae family, long-necked sauropods known for having very light skeletons for their size.

A standout feature of this fossil is the presence of air-filled spaces within the bones,which helps keep the skeleton light without compromising its strength. Coupled with large shoulder blades and a reinforced spine,it’s clear this dinosaur was designed to carry very heavy loads.

The skeleton is incomplete, but enough is preserved for examination, including three vertebrae, six tail vertebrae, part of a shoulder, and several leg bones. While it may not sound like much, comparing these parts to similar dinosaurs in the same group allows scientists to estimate their full size. They focused primarily on the scapula and fibula, bones that reliably scale with overall body length in sauropods.