Huayangosaurus — artistic reconstruction

Jurassic

Huayangosaurus

Huayangosaurus taibaii

The catalogue presents Huayangosaurus as a herbivore member of Huayangosauridae that lived during the Jurassic, between 170.0–160.0 Ma. Its estimated range is 4.0–5.0 m in length and 500–900 kg in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Dashanpu Formation, Sichuan, China. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.

Herbivore170.0–160.0 MaHuayangosauridae

Evidence-backed summary

For Huayangosaurus, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Dong et al. (1982).

The PBDB places it in Huayangosauridae, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Huayangosauridae.

In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range runs from the Bajocian to the Oxfordian.

The PBDB catalogues 1 occurrence, with material from the Shaximiao Formation (1). Provenance: China.

The catalogue records the holotype as ZDM T7001 and the type locality as “Dashanpu Formation, Sichuan, China”.

  • ZDM T7001
  • Dashanpu Formation, Sichuan, China

The catalogue's reference measurements are 4.0–5.0 m in length and 500–900 kg in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.

  • 4.0-5.0 m
  • 500-900 kg

The record gathers 26 bibliographic references registered in the PBDB, listed below.

Records compiled on 2026-08-08

Where it lived

Fossil occurrences on today’s map and in the tectonic reconstruction.

Present-day map1 PBDB
Shaximiao
PBDB occurrences
Map at the time · ~165 Ma1 PBDB
Shaximiao
PBDB occurrences
Present mean latitude29.4° N
Reconstructed mean latitude32.2° N

Positions reconstructed by PBDB/GPlates, not observed; this is not an exact habitat map.

Paleobiology Database · GPlates · CC BY 4.0

Artistic 3D reconstruction

There is no approved species-specific 3D model yet. Generic anatomy will not be presented as if it were evidence.

Physical Specifications

Length
4.0–5.0 m
Weight
500–900 kg
Period
Jurassic
Time range
170.0–160.0 Ma

Discovery Information

First Discovery
1982
Described by
Dong Zhiming et al.

Taxonomic Classification

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Reptilia
Order
Ornithischia
Family
Huayangosauridae
Genus
Huayangosaurus
Species
H. taibaii

Paleobiology Database · txn:38810

Data status

Taxonomic name matched to PBDB and checked on 2026-08-08.

Taxonomic linkage does not automatically validate size, mass, behaviour or appearance.

Type specimen
ZDM T7001
Type locality
Dashanpu Formation, Sichuan, China