Stegosaurs from China

With the addition of the PNSO Age of Dinosaurs model range to the Everything Dinosaur portfolio, we have had to increase the number of Stegosaur illustrations in our database.  The Dashanpu Formation (Sichuan Province, south-western China) has produced a large number of stegosaurian fossil remains and a number of genera have been erected. The majority of the specimens have been found in the Upper Shaximiao Formation, but the Lower Shaximiao Formation has also yielded thyreophorans, notably Huayangosaurus, which led to the establishment of the Huayangosauridae family, to which the later Chungkingosaurus has been assigned.  There are lots of Chinese stegosaurs.

Chinese Stegosaurs

The Illustration of Chungkingosaurus (C. jiangbeiensis) Commissioned by Everything Dinosaur

An illustration of the Chinese stegosaur Chungkingosaurus.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

There are members of the Stegosauria clade in the PNSO Age of Dinosaurs large models, an example of which is Chungkingosaurus, illustrated in the line drawing above.  In addition, the smaller models, the PNSO Age of Dinosaurs Toys include a number of armoured dinosaur representatives.  Four of the twenty-four models in this series are Stegosaurs, namely Kentrosaurus, Wuerhosaurus, Miragaia and Tuojiangosaurus, but surprisingly, despite the inclusion of an Ankylosaurus, there is no Stegosaurus, arguably the best-known of all the Stegosauridae, currently in this range (yet).  However, it is good to see Chinese stegosaurs represented.

The PNSO Age of Dinosaur Toys Wuerhosaurus

PNSO Wuerhosaurus model.

An Asian Origin for Stegosaurs?

Such was the diversity of stegosaur fossil remains from the Sichuan Province (south-western China), that it had been thought that the stegosaurs evolved in Asia.  A review of the fossil material undertaken in 2006* reassessed the seven named genera of stegosaur based on fossil material from the Upper Jurassic of China.  These Chinese fossils represented a diversity of stegosaurs not found anywhere else in the world during the Late Jurassic.  The researchers concluded that only Tuojiangosaurus multispinus, Chungkingosaurus jiangbeiensis and Gigantspinosaurus sichuanensis were valid taxa and therefore, the origin of the Stegosauria remained uncertain.

The Illustration Prepared for the PNSO Age of Dinosaurs Tuojiangosaurus multispinus Model

Tuojiangosaurus illustrated.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“It is wonderful to see more stegosaur figures and the PNSO Age of Dinosaurs stegosaurs are in danger of selling out, however, we intend to bring in more stocks soon.  It is refreshing to see some of the lesser-known taxa being represented in an affordable model range.”

The spokesperson went onto state that a number of new illustrations has recently been commissioned and that more drawings would be added to Everything Dinosaur’s database in the near future.  The company receives lots of dinosaur and prehistoric animal drawings from dinosaur fans and they would be particularly interested to receive illustrations of armoured dinosaurs.

To view the PNSO Age of Dinosaurs stegosaur figures and the rest of the PNSO prehistoric animal models: PNSO Age of Dinosaurs.

*The 2006 Paper: “A Review of the Late Jurassic Stegosaurs (Dinosauria, Stegosauria) from the People’s Republic of China” by Maidment, Susannah C.R.; Guangbiao Wei.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.