Yangchuanosaurus

Yangchuanosaurus is a large, powerful, intimidating theropod, evolved to dominate its prehistoric ecology. It stands on two muscular legs and, like other metriacanthosaurids, features a large head, powerful jaws, serrated teeth, and bony ornamentation across its nose and brows.

Discovery

During construction of the Shangyou Reservoir Dam, a worker came upon the fossilised remains of a dinosaur. A complete skull and skeleton were later excavated, and palaeontologists Dong et al formally described this new species. It was given the name Yangchuanosaurus after the area in which it was discovered.

Palaeoecology

Late Jurassic China featured many large animals, including sauropods, stegosaurids, and various theropods. Yet amongst these giants, the Yangchuanosaurus dominated the humid forests and plains of this ecology. Its size, speed, and sheer strength gave it a distinct hunting advantage over most contemporary carnivores and placed it at the top of this ecosystem’s food chain.