Xinjiangtitan

Xinjiangtitan is a colossal mamenchisaurid sauropod unearthed from the Late Jurassic rocks of Shanshan County in Xinjiang, China. Named in 2013, the partial skeleton includes an articulated series of all eighteen cervical vertebrae, dorsal vertebrae, sacrum, and limb elements. 4 metres in length, rivalled only by Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum in proportional neck development. Xinjiangtitan measured around twenty-seven to thirty metres in overall length and had a body mass estimated at up to forty tonnes. Its massive, column-like legs supported immense bulk while its gigantic neck reached high into the upper canopy of prehistoric gymnosperm forests to gather nutritious leaves unreachable by smaller contemporaries.

It possessed one of the longest complete vertebrate necks ever discovered, stretching over 13 metres.

Where and when

Xinjiangtitan lived in the Middle Jurassic, from 165 to 157 million years ago (Callovian-Oxfordian age). Its remains come from China, in the Qigu Formation.

The numbers

Length 28 m (estimates run from 26 to 30 m). Mass about 32 t. Hip height about 4.5 m. That is 16.5 human-lengths, or 2.5 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from partial skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, first ma, last ma, hip height.

Compare Xinjiangtitan with a bus Place on the timeline