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Wudingloong wui is a newly named Early Jurassic sauropodomorph from Yunnan, China. Its partial skeleton and geological position make it, according to the describing study, the earliest-diverging and stratigraphically oldest sauropodomorph discovered in East Asia so far—not the oldest dinosaur in Asia, and not one of the later giant sauropods.
What is Wudingloong?
Wudingloong wui is a species of sauropodomorph dinosaur described by Wang and colleagues in a paper published July 23, 2025, in Scientific Reports. Sauropodomorphs are the broader dinosaur group that includes the ancestors and relatives of the later, often enormous long-necked sauropods. The study places Wudingloong among early members of that lineage, rather than among those later giants.
The authors summarize their finding this way: “Both the phylogenetic analysis and stratigraphic horizon indicate that Wudingloong represents the earliest-diverging and stratigraphically oldest sauropodomorph dinosaur discovered in East Asia so far.” The statement combines two different kinds of evidence: its position in a family-tree analysis and the geological age of the rocks where it was found. Read the study in Scientific Reports.
Where and when did it live?
The fossil comes from the lowest Lower Jurassic beds of the Yubacun Formation at Wande Town, in Wuding County, Yunnan Province, southwestern China. The geological description places it in the Early Jurassic; the available evidence does not establish a more precise numerical age for this specimen. Calling it a “200-million-year-old” dinosaur is therefore an approximation, not a precise date reported for the fossil in the study.
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What fossils were found?
The described specimen, catalogued LFGT-YW002, is a partial skeleton—not a complete animal. It includes parts of the skull and lower jaw, neck and back vertebrae, ribs, shoulder bones, and bones of the right forelimb and hand. Those remains provide several anatomical features the authors use to distinguish the species from other non-sauropodiform sauropodomorphs.
- A triangular antorbital fossa, a depression in front of the eye socket, on the upper jaw bone (maxilla).
- A keel along the middle neck vertebrae.
- A slender upper arm bone (humerus).
- Distinctive features of the hand bones (metacarpals) and the claw on the thumb.
The identification rests on this combination of traits. No single item on that list should be mistaken for evidence that the entire skeleton is known.
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Does “oldest” mean the oldest dinosaur in Asia?
No. The study’s claim is narrower: Wudingloong is the earliest-diverging and stratigraphically oldest sauropodomorph discovered in East Asia so far. Sauropodomorphs are one branch of dinosaurs, and the claim does not say that this is the oldest dinosaur of any group across Asia. “Earliest-diverging” describes its inferred position on an evolutionary tree; “stratigraphically oldest” refers to the relative age of the rocks containing it. Those terms are related but do not mean the same thing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What about other fossils reported at the site?
The scientific description centers on the single partial skeleton designated LFGT-YW002. A separate Jerusalem Post report says construction workers exposed fossils at the locality in 2020 and describes a wider assemblage of three adult skeletons and five egg clutches. That broader site context is secondary reporting; it should not be conflated with the remains of the Wudingloong holotype described in the scientific paper.
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