YNU research team discovers Early Jurassic dinosaur fossils

The recently unearthed Early Jurassic dinosaur fossils [Photo by Claire Peyre de Fabrègues/ynu.edu.cn]

Fossils of a young dinosaur from the Early Jurassic period were recently discovered in Lufeng, in Southwest China's Yunnan province, by experts from the Center for Vertebrate Evolutionary Biology of Yunnan University (YNU), the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and other units.

Fossil evidence indicates that the dinosaur was approximately 1.7 meters long and roughly 3 years old at its time of death. Interestingly, the dinosaur does not belong to any known species.

According to a study of the fossils published in the journal Acta Geologica Sinica, the dinosaur's fossilized teeth are leaf-shaped, indicating that it was a herbivore and mainly fed on ferns and conifers.

Researchers have inferred that the dinosaur may have drowned during a flood, allowing for most of its bones to be completely preserved, according to Bi Shundong, one of the researchers and a professor at YNU.

Within China, Lufeng is one of the most prolific dinosaur fossil sites, and the Early Jurassic dinosaurs found there are the oldest known dinosaur groups in the country.

Researchers work in Lufeng in Yunnan province. [Photo by Claire Peyre de Fabrègues/ynu.edu.cn]