From the Dinosaur Collector;

Asian Jurassic dinosaurs

are mostly known from China.  China has produced two of the most diverse Middle Jurassic faunas in the world.  The Middle and Late Jurassic China seems to have been isolated from the faunas of Africa and North American.  In the Late Jurassic most finds come from China with a few from Thailand.  The earliest stegosaurs are from Asia they tend to be smaller than the classic American Stegosaurus.  The plates are smaller, shoulder spikes are common like the African stegosaur Kentrosaurus.  The theropods generally resemble Allosaurus or Megalosaurus.  The large sauropods don't seem to be closely related to the sauropods found elsewhere.    updated 111009


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From the first part of the Middle Jurassic Chuanjiesaurus anaensis ( alternately Chuanjesaurus )  found in 1995 is the largest sauropod dinosaur that ever lived in Asia  The bones of the animal were uncovered in 2001. The dinosaur is 27 meters long from head to tail and is placed in the same family as the later Mamenchisaurus .

Chuanjiesaurus

Kaiyodo Chuanjiesaurus Wonderus World of Dinosaurs 2004 special

Szechuanosaurus was a Late Jurassic medium-sized meat-eater that lived in China and was related to Allosaurus.  Reconstructions of this animal are speculative because of the scrappy nature of the finds.

Szechuanosaurus

Kaiyodo Szechuanosaurus Wonderous World of Dinosaurs 2004 special

In the Late Jurassic Sinosauropteryx (Chinese flying dragon) lived in the same part of China as many other small theropods.  It had a feathery fringe or crest abut 2 in high.  The original find was quit controversial.  Initially the evidence of feathers was questioned but with additional finds of small feathered theropods the evidence for feathers has been generally accepted.  It is seen by most authorities ( but not all) as confirming the close relationship between dinosaurs and birds.  

Sinosauropteryx

The quality of the Sinosauropteryx Kaiyodo Choco Egg premiums are museum level.  There have been 4 releases of the Dino Tales  series in Japan.   

Sinraptor (China thief) length 23 feet an allosauroid theropod. It is more primitive than the North American allosaurids, being more closely related to Yangchuanosaurus, but lived a similar life style.

sinraptor

Carnegie Safari Sinraptor.


         

 

Mamenchisaurus as a high browser.  Mamenchisaurus  is the largest known dinosaur from Asia at 70 feet long.   The neck makes up half the length.  Recent bio mechanical studies may indicate that the neck had a very limited range of movement and was held horizontal.   The stegosaur Tuojiangosaurus had 15 pairs of triangular plates from its neck to halfway down the tail (some spiky) and two pairs of spikes at end of tail made up the armor of this stegosaur. It is the best preserved of any Asian stegosaur.  
Mamenchisaurus    Tuojiangosaurus
Above are the Battat Stegosaurus tuojiangosaurus, later the figure was marketed as Stegosaurus ugulatus . The painted Invicta Mamenchisaurus   Colorata Tuojiangosaurus looks more like Huayangosaurus.

 

Yangchuanosaurus and Mamenchisaurus remains have only been found in Central and North China.  Yangchuanosaurus had a flexible neck and stiff tail. It was very similar to Allosaurus, with more teeth and a ridge along its nose. It may also have had a small crest and a low fin along its back.  It has been seen as related to either Allosaurus or Megalosaurus.

Mamenchisaurus and Yangchuanosaurus

The Safari Mamenchisaurus and Yangchuanosaurus from Dinosaurs of China by Eli Kish are displayed above.  This most recent version has Mamenchisaurus  as a low feeding fern eater.

Chungkingosaurus had shoulder spikes and narrow plates or spikes along the back with large thick spine-like bony plates (intermediate between spines and plates) and apparently four or five pairs of tail spines. May be transitional between the African Kentrosaurus and the North American Stegosaurus.  Asian stegosaurs are often reconstructed with shoulder spikes like Kentrosaurus or in older publications with a hip spike.

Yangchuanosaurus Chungkingosaurus

The Safari Dinosaur of China Yangchuanosaurus.


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