Jinchuanloong

Skull of Jinchuanloong niedu (JCMF0132) in left lateral view.

Geographic and geologic map showing the location and involved strata of the studied fossil sites in the Xinhe Formation. (A, B) location of the fossiliferous localities in the Gansu Province. (C) Geological map of the involved strata of the studied fossil site (from State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, GS (2016)2884). White star=Jinchuanloong niedu. Black star=plesiosaur fossils. (D) Stratigraphic chart of the Jurassic at the localities.

Life reconstruction of Jinchuanloong niedu

Jinchuanloong is a relatively basal sauropod that measured an estimated 10 m in length. Sauropod skulls typically don't preserve well in the fossil record, but Jinchuanloong is known mainly from the skull, and parts of the neck and tail. Like all sauropods, Jinchuanloong was a quadrupedal herbivore that used its long neck to reach the vegetation that it fed on.