New Dragon-Like Dinosaur Discovered in China

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Paleontologists in Qijiang city, China have discovered a new species of dinosaur whose physical characteristics bear resemblance to a dragon. The creature likely lived 160 million years ago and stretched 50 feet long, with an elongated neck.

Local farmers who saw the fossils noticed the similarity and gave the dinosaur its name: Qijianglong, or the “dragon of Qijiang.”

See 40 Stunning Images Captured Through A Microscope

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A bed bug at 50x magnification.Stefano Barone
A mite in a forest at 10x magnification.José R. Almodóvar
Cultured embryonic chicken dorsal root ganglia neuron explant at 60x magnification.Dr. Michael John Bridge
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Active fluid flow around P. damicornis at 4x magnificationDr. Douglas Brumley
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A Chrysochroa buqueti (jewel beetle) at 45x magnification. Charles Krebs
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Focal conic-like domain with varying degrees of modulation and checkerboard patterns at 40x magnification.Dr. Rajdeep Deb
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ALeptothorax acervorum (ant) carrying its larva at 5x magnification.Geir Drange
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A sagittal brain slice showing cell nuclei at 40x magnification.Dr. Marco Dal Maschio
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A Tradescantia zebrina (wandering jew) leaf stomata at 40x magnification.Dr. Jerzy Gubernator
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A Tigriopus californicus (copepod) at 10x magnification.Dr. Terue Kihara
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A Chrysochroa buqueti (jewel beetle) carapace, near eye at 450x magnification.Charles Krebs
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Live zebrafish embryo at 22 hours post-fertilization.Dr. Philipp Keller
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A Casuarina equisetifolia (beach oak) twigs at 125x magnification.Anatoly Mikhaltsov
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An ant eye at 20x magnification.Noah Fram-Schwartz
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Conichalcite pseudomorph after azurite at 6x magnification.Honorio Cócera-La Parra
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Lilium anther, second division tetrads at 500x magnification.Raymond Sloss
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Montana Dryhead agate at 50x magnification.Douglas L. Moore
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Tripolycyanamide crystal at 100x magnification.Yanping Wang
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A young starfish at 5x magnification.Steven Wilbert
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Pleurotaenium ovatum (micro algae) at 40x magnification.Rogelio Moreno Gill
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Marine algae at 40x magnification. Waldo Nell
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Anagallis arvensis (scarlet pimpernel) at 80x magnification. Jens H. Petersen
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Recrystallized bismuth iodide at 100x magnification.Sebastian Blaise Sparenga
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A Hydra and Volvox at 10x magnification.Steven Wilbert
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Appendages of a common brine shrimp at 100x magnification.Dr. Igor Robert Siwanowicz

The Qijianglong belongs to the mamenchisaurids group of dinosaurs, found only in Asia and known for necks that can make up half the length of their bodies. By comparison, the sauropoda family that includes better-known dinosaurs like the Apatosaurus (a.k.a. Brontosaurus) have necks that span only a third of their bodies.

The research team found the vertebrae, skull and tail (but not the hand or leg bones) in a site where a fish pond was being dug. The skeleton is temporarily on display in a local museum, but will move to a dinosaur museum in the city that is still under construction.

[CNN]

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