Euhelopus

Euhelopus was a moderately sized sauropod dinosaur that lived in eastern China during the Early Cretaceous period. It is famous for being one of the first sauropods thoroughly investigated and described scientifically from Chinese deposits. The known fossil material comprises two partial skeletons that together preserve substantial cranial, vertebral, and appendicular anatomy. It possessed a remarkably long neck composed of at least nineteen elongated cervical vertebrae, balanced over relatively long forelimbs compared to its hindlimbs. This anatomical posture allowed it to forage comfortably on mid-to-high vegetation without rearing up. Originally thought to be closely allied with Jurassic forms like Camarasaurus, modern studies place Euhelopus at the root of a distinct East Asian radiation of titanosauriforms known as the Euhelopodidae.

Originally named Helopus, it had to be renamed because a marsh tern had already received the moniker.

Where and when

Euhelopus lived in the Early Cretaceous, from 129.4 to 122.4 million years ago (Barremian-Aptian age). Its remains come from China, in the Mengyin Formation.

The numbers

Length 13 m (estimates run from 11 to 15 m). Mass about 4.2 t. Hip height about 2.5 m. That is 7.6 human-lengths, or 1.16 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from partial skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, hip height.

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