Paleontologists have unearthed the remains of a dinosaur in China believed to have lived 160 million years ago that resembles a dragon.
This species is about 50 feet long and lived during the Late Jurassic period, according to CNN. Farmers in Qijang city in the southwestern Chongqing province found the remains in 2006 while they were digging for a fish pond.
Lida Xing, a member of the research team at the University of Alberta who made the discovery, said scientists named the new species Qijanglong or the "dragon of Qijang." It was named after the city it was found in and because the farmers thought the bones resembled the Chinese mythical dragons.
In the Canadian paleontologists report in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, the scientists said the neck of the dinosaur was half the length of its body, New York Daily News reported. Paleontologists believe this species of "long-necks" were herbivores and their long neck threatened predators. The neck was lightweight, about 25 feet long and with its vertebrae, filled with air. The neck also had interlocking joints which made it easier to reach food in high trees.
At first paleontologists did not realize they had discovered a new species of mamenchisaurus sauropods, a group of long-necked dinosaurs from China. This is the youngest addition to the species that has only been found in China, CNN reported. Paleontologists said this discovery tells them what type of environment this species thrived in and suggests that other species from this genus could exist in other continents.
The skeleton is on display in a museum in Qijang, but will be relocated to a new dinosaur building within the city once construction is completed.
