Tuojiangosaurus
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| Tuojiangosaurus Fossil range: Late Jurassic |
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Tuojiangosaurus (meaning 'Tuo River lizard') is a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period, recovered from the Upper Shaximiao Formation of what is now Sichuan Province in China. Physically similar to the North American Stegosaurus, Tuojiangosaurus is the best understood of the Chinese stegosaurs. It was around 7.0 meters (23 ft) long and 2 meters (7 ft) high, with a postulated weight of around 4 metric tons (4.4 short tons).
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[edit] Discovery and species
The type and only species, T. multispinus, was named in 1977 (exactly a hundred years after Stegosaurus) on the strength of two specimens, one over half complete. Like its compatriot Kentrosaurus, it had two rows of pointed plates along the spine. It also had two outward-pointing spikes on each side of the end of the tail, angled approximately at 45 degrees to the vertical. In stegosaurs, this spike arrangement has become affectionately known as the "thagomizer".
[edit] Popular Culture
A mounted skeleton of Tuojiangosaurus multispinus is on display at the Municipal Museum of Chongqing. In addition, a mounted cast is on display at the Natural History Museum, in London.
[edit] References
- Dong Zhiming (1988). Dinosaurs from China. China Ocean Press, Beijing & British Museum (Natural History). ISBN 0-565-01073-5.
- Dong Zhiming (1992). Dinosaurian Faunas of China. China Ocean Press, Beijing. ISBN 3-540-52084-8.
[edit] External links
