Mamenchisaurus

Mamenchisaurus is legendary for having one of the longest necks relative to its body of any animal that ever lived. First discovered during highway construction in Sichuan in 1952, this giant sauropod roamed Jurassic forests across China. While the type species reached about twenty metres in length, larger referred species like Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum reached well over twenty-six metres and possessed neck spans exceeding twelve metres. To support such an immense extension, its cervical vertebrae were deeply excavated with air pockets and reinforced by overlapping, rod-like cervical ribs. Mamenchisaurus browsed heavily on tall gymnosperms.

Its neck comprised up to nineteen elongate vertebrae and could measure over nine metres in length.

Where and when

Mamenchisaurus lived in the Late Jurassic, from 161 to 145 million years ago (Oxfordian-Tithonian age). Its remains come from China, in the Shaximiao Formation.

The numbers

Length 23 m (estimates run from 20 to 26 m). Mass about 21 t. Hip height about 4.5 m. That is 13.5 human-lengths, or 2.05 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from near-complete skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, hip height.

Compare Mamenchisaurus with a bus Place on the timeline