| Yunmenglong | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Sauropoda |
| Clade: | †Macronaria |
| Clade: | †Somphospondyli |
| Genus: | †Yunmenglong Lüet al.,2013 |
| Type species | |
| †Yunmenglong ruyangensis Lüet al., 2013 | |
Yunmenglong (meaning "Yunmeng dragon", after theYunmengshan area where it was found[1]) is anextinctgenus ofsomphospondylansauropod known from the lateEarly Cretaceous ofHenan Province, centralChina. Its remains were discovered in theHaoling Formation of theRuyang Basin. Thetype species isYunmenglong ruyangensis, described in2013 byJunchang Lüet al. on the basis of an incompletepostcranialskeleton.Yunmenglong shares some characters withEuhelopus,Qiaowanlong, andErketu; aphylogenetic analysis places it as asister taxon ofQiaowanlong, both grouped withErketu in a position more derived thanEuhelopus butbasal toTitanosauria.[1]
Yunmenglong was a giant sauropod dinosaur, as evidenced by the complete right femur at about 1.92 m (6.3 ft) long and 65 cm (2.13 ft) in distal width, which is comparable to other giant Chinese genus,Fusuisaurus.[2] In 2016,Paul estimated it at 20 m (66 ft) in length and 30 t (33 short tons) in weight.[3] In 2020, Molina-Pérez and Larramendi gave a larger length of 27 m (89 ft) and a similar weight of 29 t (32 short tons).[4]
