Chungkingosaurus

Chungkingosaurus was a relatively small stegosaur that lived in China during the Late Jurassic period. Discovered during construction work near Chongqing, this herbivore measured between three and a half and five metres in length, making it modest in stature compared to giants like Stegosaurus. It possessed thick, vertical bony plates running down its neck and back, which transitioned into long defensive spikes over the hips and tail. Unusually, its tail weapon, or thagomizer, may have featured as many as ten spikes arranged in pairs, creating an exceptionally formidable deterrent against contemporary theropods such as Yangchuanosaurus. Walking on four stout legs with shorter forelimbs, Chungkingosaurus grazed on low ferns and cycads in lush forest habitats.

It possessed a thagomizer bearing up to five pairs of spikes rather than the typical two pairs seen in Stegosaurus.

Where and when

Chungkingosaurus lived in the Middle Jurassic, from 163.5 to 157.3 million years ago (Oxfordian age). Its remains come from China, in the Upper Shaximiao Formation.

The numbers

Length 4.3 m (estimates run from 3.5 to 5 m). Mass about 920 kg. Hip height about 1.4 m. That is 2.5 human-lengths, or 0.38 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from partial skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, hip height.

Compare Chungkingosaurus with a bus Place on the timeline