Mamenchisaurus is one of the largest sauropod dinosaurs discovered in China to date. A standard tennis court is 23.77 meters long, while Mamenchisaurus reached 25 meters – truly unimaginable. Its vertebrae contained many cavities, making its 12-ton weight not an exaggeration relative to its massive body. Mamenchisaurus was 25 meters long from tail to snout and nearly 4 meters tall. Its neck was exceptionally long, about 14 meters, half its body length, making it the animal with the longest neck ever to have lived on Earth. If Mamenchisaurus were standing on the ground, its head could easily fit through a third-floor window. Structurally, Mamenchisaurus's long cervical ribs acted like plaster casts, binding several cervical vertebrae together. When it raised its long neck and bent it in an "S" shape, the ribs could pierce the skin and soft tissues of the neck, especially at the back of the neck, causing severe injury.
During the Late Jurassic period, 145 million years ago, vast, dense forests covered the land, dotted with redwoods, and herds of Mamenchisaurus were often seen traversing these forests. Unlike the spike-like teeth of Diplodocus, Mamenchisaurus teeth were spoon-shaped, which may have been more suited to the vegetation of the time.
Mamenchisaurus had a long neck not only because each cervical vertebra that made up its neck was long, but also because it had as many as 19 cervical vertebrae, the most of any sauropod. In addition, it also had the longest cervical ribs of all dinosaurs (the longest cervical rib could reach 2.1 meters). Compared with the cervical vertebrae, it had relatively fewer dorsal vertebrae (12), sacral vertebrae (4), and caudal vertebrae (35).
The Mamenchisaurus's tail also constituted another large part of its body. This tail could swing at supersonic speeds (according to computer model calculations), unleashing a force akin to cannon fire, and could also serve a defensive purpose. Architectural engineers stated that the Mamenchisaurus's neck and tail, along with its body, resembled a suspension bridge (like the Golden Gate Bridge). The vertebrae acted as the bridge's cables, supporting the neck and tail and transferring weight to the body, feet, and ground. The body acted as the bridge towers, transferring weight to the ground. The Mamenchisaurus suspension bridge model was not perfectly balanced because its neck and tail were not of uniform length, with the neck longer than the tail. However, with current engineering technology, constructing a suspension bridge like the Mamenchisaurus's would be extremely difficult.
Mamenchisaurus
Chinese name: Mamenchisaurus
Latin name: Mamenchisaurus
Age of existence: Late Jurassic
Fossil sites: China, Mongolia, Japan
Physical characteristics: 21 to 25 meters in length
Diet: Plants
Species: Sauropods
Meaning: Lizard from Maming Creek
