Xinjiangtitan is a type of dinosaur that lived during the Middle Jurassic period, around 164 million years ago.
It is known from what is now Xinjiang, a region in northwestern China. The name Xinjiangtitan means “Giant of Xinjiang,” with “titan” referring to giants in Greek mythology. The only species in this genus is called Xinjiangtitan shanshanesis, named after a local area where its fossils were found.
The fossils were discovered in 2012 by a team from various universities, and they found a nearly complete skeleton. This skeleton includes one of the most complete spines of any sauropod dinosaur found in Asia, and it also has the longest neck of any known animal, measuring about 15 meters long.
Fossils of this dinosaur were mostly collected from the Qiketai Formation. The fossils reveal that Xinjiangtitan was a massive creature, stretching around 30 to 32 meters in length, which is about 98 to 105 feet! It weighed as much as 40 metric tons, which is similar to the weight of 10 elephants.
The skeleton features unique characteristics that help scientists identify it. For instance, its neck has special shapes in the vertebrae that are different from those of other dinosaurs. The thigh bone (femur) of Xinjiangtitan was also extremely thick and strong.
When scientists studied Xinjiangtitan and compared it to other sauropods, they found that it is closely related to a dinosaur called Mamenchisaurus. Both dinosaurs share several traits, which help researchers understand how dinosaurs evolve over time.
Overall, Xinjiangtitan adds to our knowledge of the giant sauropods that roamed the Earth millions of years ago, showcasing their size and unique features.