China News Service, Kunming, May 5 (Reporter Hu Yuanhang) The reporter learned from Yunnan University on the 5th that the Institute of Vertebrate Evolution of the school, together with the Institute of Paleospine and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was in the Early Jurassic of Lufeng, Yunnan. A dinosaur juvenile fossil about 1.7 meters in length was found in the formation.
Studies have shown that the specimen is about 3 years old and does not belong to any known species.
According to reports, this is the second time that sauropod dinosaur larval fossils have been discovered in the early Jurassic formation of Lufeng.
Including part of the skull, complete cervical vertebrae, dorsal vertebrae and metacarpal bones, as well as the distal femur and proximal tibia.
The teeth of this larval fossil are leaf-shaped, and it is a kind of herbivorous dinosaur.
The picture shows the excavation site of dinosaur juvenile fossils in Lufeng, Yunnan.
Provided by Yunnan University
Bone histology studies show that the specimen is in the early stage of ontogeny.
By comparing with other basic sauropod larvae in the world, researchers believe that its age is about 3 years old.
The phylogenetic analysis results also showed that the specimen belongs to the Sauropod, but it is still relatively basic compared to the sauropod and does not belong to any known species. It has a long relationship with the evolution of other basic sauropod dinosaur larvae. This specimen has It may belong to some unknown basic sauropod species.
The picture shows the excavation site of dinosaur juvenile fossils in Lufeng, Yunnan.
Provided by Yunnan University
The sauropod dinosaur fossil group in the Lufeng area is rich in ancient spine fossils, including 11 effective sauropod genera.
The research also sorted out the chronology and biostratigraphy of Lufeng "red bed" for the first time.
Studies have shown that the Lufeng Formation belongs to the Lower Jurassic, about 200 million years ago, and is currently the most abundant fossil-bearing stratigraphic unit of the Mesozoic in Yunnan Province.
Relevant research results were recently published in "Acta Geologica Sinica" (English edition).
(Finish)