Omnisaura

Dinosaur genus

Yunnanosaurus

Young 1940

Yunnanosaurus is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 201.4–184.2 million years old, in China.

Confidence labels
How sure are we?0 high6 medium2 lowHow we rate confidence

Confidence labels are switched off. Facts with low confidence, or where sources disagree, still carry a small dot: tap it for the reason.

At a glance

Data as of 11 October 2026
201.4–184.2 Ma
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
252 million years ago20114366

The last non-bird dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago. That's as far from us as the end of this bar.

Named by
Young 1940
disputedlow: PBDB and Wikidata agree on who named it but give years more than one apart; an editor has not ruled yet.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Described in
C.-C. Young (1940). Preliminary notes on the Lufeng vertebrate fossils. Bulletin of the Geological Society of China 20(3-4): 235–239.
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; its author and year match the naming authority (Young 1940).
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. The publication the Paleobiology Database gives as the authority for this genus name, usually the one that first named and described it.

Lived
Hettangian to Pliensbachian, 201.4–184.2 million years ago
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Omnisaura calculation201.4–184.2 million years ago, from its dated fossil records
mediummedium: Omnisaura's calculation from 15 confirmed PBDB records.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Fossils found in
China
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (15 records).
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).

Rock formations
Lufeng
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (14 records).
Fengjiahe
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
mixedmixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.

Parent group
Sauropodiformes
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Species named in its records
Yunnanosaurus huangi, Yunnanosaurus robustus, Yunnanosaurus youngi
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database (the species its fossil records are identified as).

Known from
Bones
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).

Sources: Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0), Wikidata (CC0 1.0)Confidence levels and gaps are Omnisaura's own assessment.

Gaps are answers

What isn't known yet

  • Type species: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Order: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Family: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Diet: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Way of life: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Common names: no source we use gives it yet.
  • What it was named after: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Held back: 2 fossil records left out: identified only tentatively (for example "cf.", "?" or the name in quotation marks).
  • Resting on one source: 2 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): parent group (PBDB); age (headline) (PBDB).

Size and appearance aren't covered yet, and diet and way of life only as PBDB infers them for the wider group. Omnisaura leaves the rest out rather than guess.

Where sources disagree

1 open

Authority

  • Young 1940PBDB (shown above)
  • Yang Zhongjian, 1942Wikidata

The sources agree on who named it but give different years. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.

Did it meet…?

?

No. Yunnanosaurus had gone at least 100.6 million years before Tyrannosaurus appears in the fossil record, a longer gap than the 66 million years between Tyrannosaurus and today.

Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.

Connections

Genera linked to Yunnanosaurus by where and when their fossils were found, by classification and by who named them. Select a name to open its page.

YunnanosaurusSame rocks, same timeSame parent groupSame naming authorAlso found in ChinaSinosaurusLufengosaurusGyposaurusJingshanosaurusand 5 moreAardonyxBlikanasaurusCamelotiaMelanorosaurusand 3 moreChangpeipusMamenchisaurusOmeisaurusSanpasaurusand 5 moreEubrontesKayentapusAnomoepusGrallatorand 12 more

Same rocks, same time 9

Genera found in the same rock units, from rocks of overlapping age, the most shared fossil sites first.

SinosaurusLufengosaurusGyposaurusJingshanosaurusXingxiulongAnomoepusEubrontesKayentapusShenmuichnus

Same parent group: Sauropodiformes 7

Other genera in Sauropodiformes with a full profile.

AardonyxBlikanasaurusCamelotiaJingshanosaurusMelanorosaurusMussaurusXingxiulong

Named by Young 9

Genera whose naming authority includes the same surname. The authority has no initials, so different people who share a surname can appear together.

ChangpeipusLufengosaurusMamenchisaurusOmeisaurusSanpasaurusSinosaurusTienshanosaurusTsintaosaurusYangtzepus

Credits

Where this page comes from

  • Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
  • WikidataCC0 1.0 · names and identifiers
  • OmnisauraOmnisaura editorial · confidence levels and gaps
  • PaleoMAP PaleoCoastlines (Kocsis and Scotese 2021)CC BY 4.0 · ancient coastlines on the small map
  • Natural EarthPublic domain · today's coastlines

Pictures linked from this page are credited beside each one, with their own licences; the full list is in the JSON download.