Guanlong

Gwon-long.
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John Stewart

Paleoecologist

John Stewart is a distinguished paleoecologist whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems. With over two decades dedicated to unearthing fossils across Asia and Africa

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Name

Guanlong ‭(‬Crown dragon‭)‬.

Phonetic

Gwon-long.

Named By

Xu et al.‭ ‬-‭ ‬2006.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Proceratosauridae.‭)‬.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

G.‭ ‬wucaii‭

Size

3‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

China‭ ‬-‭ ‬Shishugou Formation.

Time Period

Oxfordian of the Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Two specimens,‭ ‬one almost complete partially articulated adult,‭ ‬one almost complete and fully articulated juvenile.

In Depth

       Guanlong is well-known among palaeontological circles as the first tyrannosaur,‭ ‬although new discoveries in the future may take this epithet away from Guanlong.‭ ‬The discovery of Guanlong lends support to the theory that the early origins of the tyrannosaurs can be traced back to Asia.‭ ‬From here fossil evidence from the discovery of Stokesosaurus indicates that they primarily radiated towards North America,‭ ‬although it‭’‬s possible that they also spread in the opposite direction to Europe.

       One thing that Guanlong is arguably more famous for is its elaborate head crest,‭ ‬the inspiration for Guanlong’s name‭ ‘‬crown lizard‭’‬.‭ ‬This crest rose up from the snout between the nostrils and eyes and curved over in an arc above the back of the skull.‭ ‬Study of the crests has revealed that they were very fragile,‭ ‬confirming the notion that they were only for display.‭ ‬As such the crests were probably a different colour to the rest of the body, and may have increased in colour intensity as Guanlong reached breeding condition

Further Reading

– A basal tyrannosauroid dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of China – Nature 439 (7077): 715–718. – X. Xu, J. M. Clark, C. A. Forster, M. A. Norell, G. M. Erickson, D. A. Eberth, C. Jia & Q. Zhao – 2006.

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