Shunosaurus

The “Lizard of Shu”: The Stage of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Although the scientific name Shunosaurus might sound Western at first glance, its origin is deeply connected to Chinese history.

Scientific Name Derived from “Shu”

The name “Shuno” is derived from “Shu,” the ancient name for Sichuan Province, China.
“Shu” is famous as the kingdom founded by Liu Bei and served by the genius strategist Zhuge Liang in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

The scientific name Shunosaurus lii signifies the “Lizard of Shu,” symbolizing its discovery in this land.
The “Dashanpu Formation” in Zigong City, Sichuan Province, where the fossils were found, is a treasure trove of the Middle Jurassic, and these dinosaurs are known as the representative species of this era.

The Deadly “Club” and Spikes on the Tail

The greatest feature of Shunosaurus is the “weapon” attached to the tip of its tail.
While typical sauropods (such as Diplodocus) possessed long, whip-like tails, Shunosaurus had a more active means of attack.

Armed with a Spiked Hammer

The bones at the tip of the tail were fused together to form a hard “club,” from which grew two pairs (four) of sharp spikes.
Although it was only about 5 cm square in size, if swung using centrifugal force, its destructive power would have been tremendous.

This structure resembles that of the Cretaceous armored dinosaur Ankylosaurus, but Shunosaurus belongs to a completely different group.
It is believed that they repelled carnivorous dinosaurs by violently swinging this hammer when attacked.

A Student Was the First Discoverer! A Dramatic Find and a Museum

There is a surprising episode behind the discovery of Shunosaurus.
The first fossil was found in 1977 on a riverbank in Sichuan.
The first discoverer was not an expert, but a student participating in an amateur excavation team.

Miraculous Preservation and the “Zigong Dinosaur Museum”

This discovery was extremely important for the field of paleontology.
Sauropods are famous for their skulls being difficult to find, but for Shunosaurus, not only was the full skeleton found, but the precious skull remained in excellent condition.
The specimen was so perfect that even the brain and blood vessels inside the skull could be inferred, providing valuable data for understanding evolution.

Currently, the “Zigong Dinosaur Museum” has been built in Dashanpu, where many fossils were found, allowing visitors to see the ancient landscape protected exactly as it was at the excavation site.

A Compact and Primitive Body

Aside from the tail weapon, it has distinctive physical features.
The total length was approximately 9 to 15 meters, and the weight was about 3 tons.
While “over 10 meters long” may seem large, it is a compact body size compared to the super-giant sauropods of later eras that reached the 30-meter class.

The neck was also relatively short, giving an overall stocky impression.
This indicates that they were a relatively “primitive type” among sauropods.
Inside their mouths were rows of slender, spoon-shaped teeth, which they likely used to efficiently strip and eat plants.