Omeisaurus was a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in the Late Jurassic of China about 168-163 million years ago. It was a long-necked herbivorous dinosaur with several more vertebrae than the sauropods of North America and Africa. In 1939 it was discovered by paleontologist Yang Zhongjian and named after the sacred mountain of Omeishan where the first skeleton was excavated. In the 1970s and 1980s, more skeletons were unearthed as part of the "great Chinese dinosaur race".
Omeisaurus was a close relative of Mamenchisaurus. It traveled in herds, and its long neck often reached high into the trees or covered a wide area on the ground. It had 17 vertebrae in its neck, and its neck was about 30 feet long. It had a deep, blunt head and spoon-shaped teeth used for eating plants. The skull probably resembled that of Camarasaurus. It has a huge size that protected itself from attack by predatory dinosaurs. The tail ended in a large bony club like ankylosaurs.
The Omeisaurus was estimated to be 10 - 15 m tall and weighed 9,800 kilograms.
The name Omeisaurus means "Omei lizard".
Omeisaurus was a plant eating dinosaur in its day. Its long neck was used to reach the heights of trees or cover a wide area on the ground.
Omeisaurus was a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in the Late Jurassic of China about 168-163 million years ago.
In 1939 it was discovered by paleontologist Yang Zhongjian and named after the sacred mountain Omeishan where the first skeleton was excavated. In the 1970s and 1980s, more skeletons were unearthed as part of the "great Chinese dinosaur race".
