Mamenchisaurus

What it was like

Mamenchisaurus was a long-necked plant eater known for having one of the longest necks of any animal, making up nearly half its total body length. Its head was small compared to its body, and its neck was held up by long, overlapping vertebrae.

Like other sauropods, it walked on four thick, pillar-like legs and had a long, tapering tail. Exact size estimates vary widely between species and specimens, but Mamenchisaurus ranks among the largest animals ever to have lived.

Its world

Mamenchisaurus lived in what is now China from about 168 to 137 million years ago, spanning the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous, with possible finds also reported from Mongolia and Thailand. Its fossils come from formations including Shaximiao, Xiangtang, Penglaizhen, and Shishugou.

It shared its world with predators such as Yangchuanosaurus, Sinraptor, and Guanlong, the small plant eater Gongbusaurus, and the armored Gigantspinosaurus and Tuojiangosaurus.

How it was found

Young named Mamenchisaurus in 1954, based on fossils found in China. About 17 finds of the genus are now known, spread across several named species whose exact relationships are still debated. The type species is Mamenchisaurus constructus.