Re: Kunmingosaurus

["Mickey_Mortimer11" <Mickey_Mortimer11@email.msn.com>]

Øyvind M. Padron wrote-

> Does anyone have a good skeletal restoration of this animal, or any idea
> what's actually known of it?

It's known from a couple dentaries (BNHM 74, 75) and more complete remains
(IVPP coll.) from the Lower Lufeng Formation of Yunnan, China.  These come
from the same quarry, and apparently the same individual.  It has never been
formally described, but was named by Zhao in 1985.  There is an illustration
of the dentary in Dong (1992).  I could scan it for you if you want.  The
sauropod maxilla described by Barrett from the area may have some relation
to it (and can also be scanned).  The maxilla was originally assigned to
Yunnanosaurus and the dentaries to Lufengosaurus, but I'm not sure if the
notion Yunnanosaurus had sauropod-like teeth was solely based on this
maxilla, or if more Kunmingosaurus remains have been incorrectly referred to
this taxon.  Then again, perhaps it does really have sauropod-like teeth,
it's all very confusing.

Barrett, P M.  1999.  A sauropod dinosaur from the Lower Lufeng Formation
(Lower Jurassic) of Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China.  JVP
19(4):785-787.

Mickey Mortimer