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Chiayusaurus

genus of reptiles (fossil)

Specimen drawers, botanical folios and brass scientific instruments under study light
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionDec 5, 2025
Entity authorityQ719905 ↗
Source-derived summary

Chiayusaurus (meaning "Chia-yu-kuan lizard", after where it was found) is a genus of sauropod dinosaur known from teeth found in China and possibly also South Korea. Two species have been named for this obscure genus, though only the type, C. lacustris, is still seen as valid. It was originally named as Chiayüsaurus, but the ICZN does not permit special characters, so the name was corrected to Chiayusaurus. The obsolete name can still be seen in older sources, though.

As a sauropod, Chiayusaurus would have been a large, quadrupedal herbivore.

History and taxonomy

Birger Bohlin based Chiayusaurus on a tooth crown in the IVPP. This tooth was found in the Barremian (Early Cretaceous) Xinminbao Group of Gansu, China. This spatulate tooth crown was 27 millimeters (1.1 inches) long, and was not similar to the younger genus Asiatosaurus. As it was based on such sparse material, it has largely been ignored or considered to be indistinguishable from other, better-known sauropods. For example, Russell and Zheng found its tooth to be indistinguishable from those of Mamenchisaurus.

Bohlin described a larger tooth in the 1953 publication as "Species A. (aff.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Chiayusaurus” as genus of reptiles (fossil). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Chiayusaurus, genus and reptiles.

Editorial reviewA practical orientation to terminology and classification, particularly when read beside dated observations, specimens or technical literature. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1953—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Chiayusaurus, genus and reptiles providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Chiayusaurus”, the useful work is to connect “genus of reptiles (fossil)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 5, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q719905. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1953.

Critical limits

Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
Verify next

Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Chiayusaurus”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Chiayusaurus primary sources, Chiayusaurus archive and Chiayusaurus research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Chiayusaurus”?
  2. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
  3. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Chiayusaurus” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.