A new species of dinosaur was discovered in the Yunnan Province, China, measuring 7 meter in length dating to around 180 million years ago, during the lower Jurassic period, according to a report published by New China News Agency on September 14, 2018.

Discovered in 2002 by Chinese scientists, the species wasn’t validly named and described until 2018 when the findings were finally adopted and published by the Scientific Reports, an accredited scientific journal published by Nature Publishing Group.

Researchers named the newly discovered species; Yizhousaurus sunae, and identified it from a nearly fully-preserved skeleton and an intact skull.

Doctoral candidate with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Science, Zhang Qiannan, stated that the discovery shows the diversity of Sauropodiforms and lizard-footed dinosaur. This finding is very significant in helping scientists further understand the evolution and origins of dinosaurs.

The specimen is displayed at the Lufeng Dinosaur Valley museum, an area abundant with prehistoric fossils, where another dinosaur was discovered eight years ago dating back to around 190 million years ago.