Pronunciation: chee-an-long
Meaning: Qian Dragon
Author/s: Han et al. (2023)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Guizhou, China
Discovery Chart Position: #1105
Qianlong shouhu
(Guarding Qian Dragon)Etymology
Qianlong is derived from Mandarin Chinese "Qian" (an alternative name for Guizhou Province where the fossils were found) and "long" (dragon). Coincidentally, Qianlong (1711-1799) is also the name of the fifth emperor of the Qing dynasty, the fourth to rule over China proper, and one of the longest-reigning monarchs in history.
The species epithet, shouhu, means "guarding" in Chinese, referring to the adult skeletal fossils that were "guarding" the associated embryo-containing egg fossils at the site.
Discovery
The first remains of Qianlong were discovered in the Zhenzhuchong Member of the Ziliujing Formation at Zhuanpo, Pingba District, Anshun City, Guizhou Province, southwestern China, by local brickmakers in 1999, and were excavated by a team led by Huiyang Cai of Guizhou Provincial Museum and Xinjin Wang of Guizhou Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology between 10th August and 12th December of that year. A second excavation was organised for 2000, but the dig was abandoned because most fossil-bearing strata had been removed by locals as they continued their hunt for brick-making red clay.
The holotype (GZPM VN001) is a partial and semi-articulated skeleton, and a partial skull and jaws that were found 30 metres away.
Referred material includes two partial semi-articulated skeletons (GZPM VN002 and 003) and five clutches of embryo-containing eggs (GZPM VN004—008), the microstructural study of which led scientists to believe that Qinlong laid leathery eggs rather than hard or soft-shelled ones and that was likely the ancestral state for dinosaur eggs. All fossils are housed at the Guizhou Provincial Museum (GZPM).
