Early Jurassic Dinosaur Discovery in Yunnan Province Breaks New Ground in Paleontology

In a groundbreaking paleontological achievement, a team of Chinese scientists has uncovered the oldest known sauropodomorph dinosaur fossil ever found in East Asia. The fossilized remains, excavated in 2020 from Wande Town, Wuding County, in Yunnan Province, belong to a newly identified species named Wudingloong wui. The discovery, officially unveiled in 2025, pushes back the region’s dinosaur history to the dawn of the Early Jurassic period, around 200 million years ago.

A Collaborative Effort Spanning Five Years

The fossil excavation and restoration took place over five years, led by experts from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Yunnan University, the Geological Museum of China, and local authorities in Yunnan. This collaboration resulted in the preservation and analysis of an exceptionally well-preserved partial skeleton—including a skull, cervical and dorsal vertebrae, and forelimb bones.

The site, part of the Yubacun Formation, has now proven to be a significant window into the early evolutionary pathways of sauropodomorphs, the long-necked ancestors of later giants like Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus.

Meet Wudingloong: The Earliest-Diverging Sauropodomorph of East Asia

The newly named species, Wudingloong wui, represents the earliest-diverging and most primitive sauropodomorph dinosaur discovered in East Asia to date. The fossil’s age places it at the very start of the Jurassic era, shortly after the mass extinction event that ended the Triassic period.

Unlike later, massive sauropods, Wudingloong was a relatively small and likely bipedal creature. Its anatomy features:

Smooth enamel teeth

A slender scapula (shoulder blade)

A higher radius-to-humerus length ratio

Elongated fingers

These traits set it apart from its descendants and suggest a more agile, lightly built body—adapted perhaps for forested environments or varying terrain in what is now southwestern China.

New Phylogenetic Matrix Reshapes Dinosaur Family Tree

As part of the study, the researchers developed an entirely new phylogenetic character matrix—a tool used to analyze evolutionary relationships between species. This advanced model allowed scientists to more accurately place Wudingloong within the broader sauropodomorph lineage.

The analysis revealed its close relationship to Late Triassic species like Plateosauravus (South Africa) and Ruehleia (Germany), indicating that sauropodomorphs were already dispersing across Pangaea at the time, and that East Asia served as an important evolutionary corridor.

Southwest China Emerges as a Global Dinosaur Evolution Hotspot

The discovery adds to a growing list of significant Early Jurassic finds in Yunnan, including Lishulong wangi and Xingxiulong yueorum. However, Wudingloong predates all previous East Asian sauropodomorphs, firmly placing Wuding County at the heart of dinosaur evolution studies.

This region now stands out as one of the most crucial locations globally for understanding the early diversification and geographic spread of long-necked dinosaurs. The high diversity and primitive anatomy observed in Wudingloong strengthen the case for further paleontological exploration in China.

Why This Discovery Matters

Pushes back the known timeline of sauropodomorphs in East Asia by millions of years

Highlights the evolutionary experimentation in dinosaur anatomy after the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event

Validates the significance of Yunnan Province as a major site for dinosaur evolution

Introduces a new dinosaur genus and species, adding a key branch to the dinosaur family tree

Conclusion: A Milestone in Dinosaur Research

The discovery of Wudingloong wui not only enriches our understanding of early sauropodomorph evolution but also emphasizes the importance of international and interdisciplinary collaboration in scientific breakthroughs. As China continues to yield astonishing prehistoric finds, Yunnan Province remains firmly on the global map of paleontological research.

 Keywords: 

Oldest dinosaur fossil in East Asia

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Early Jurassic sauropodomorph

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