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EXHIBIT 175

Gobisaurus

Gobisaurus domoculus

Gobisaurus was an armored plant eater identified principally through a skull from Inner Mongolia. [3]

Evidence profile

TWO WAYS TO PICTURE THE PAST

Compare the evidence with the familiar movie image. The illustrations are not to a shared scale.

01 / SKELETAL RECONSTRUCTION

A framework from the fossils

Generalized Gobisaurus domoculus holotype skull illustration adapted from the 2001 description.

Generalized illustration of G. domoculus holotype IVPP V 12563 adapted from the original description. It illustrates skull form, rather than a complete preserved body or a disputed Zhongyuansaurus referral. Living colors and soft tissues are unknown. [4]

Gobisaurus.jpg · Greygirlbeast. CC BY-SA 3.0. Converted to WebP at the original 150 by 76 pixels; no upsampling or anatomy edits.

Skeletal mounts and drawings may restore missing parts; the caption identifies the displayed material.

02 / MOVIE-STYLE INTERPRETATION

A cinematic imagination

Illustrative reconstruction of Gobisaurus domoculus; colors, soft tissues and missing anatomy remain interpretive.

Original cinematic interpretation of Gobisaurus. The published type description concerns the skull; body, armor arrangement and simple tail tip are comparative artistic hypotheses, without claiming a confirmed club or its absence. Colors, lighting and scenery are artistic choices; this is not directly observed behavior. Lighting, coloration and scenery are artistic choices. This image does not document a fossil locality or behavior.

Original artwork · artistic interpretation.

Scientific view: source-informed reconstruction, credited paleoart or specimen-based imagery. Movie-style view: Original artistic interpretation. Reconstructions involve uncertainty.

PERIODEarly Cretaceous[2]
DIETHerbivoreEvidence and uncertainty in the dossier
TOTAL LENGTHSee the dossierEstimate scope matters
FOSSILS FOUNDInner Mongolia, China[1]
CompareRead the dossierView the sources

MEET THE ANIMAL

Meet Gobisaurus

Gobisaurus was a plant-eating armored dinosaur from China. The museum estimates a body length of up to about five metres by extrapolating from the skull. That means the size is reconstructed from a part of the animal, not measured from a complete skeleton. The calculation method and growth stage are unspecified, so it is not a verified adult maximum. [D3]

The original study concentrated on a skull, while the body bones were unavailable for examination. The skull has a relatively long snout and surface armor. Its missing body limits the certainty of a complete restoration, including limb proportions and walking details. A finished illustration should not make an unknown tail or foot look as securely established as the skull. [D1]

More recent research places the Maortu fossil assemblage in the Lower Cretaceous Miaogou Formation of Inner Mongolia. This revises the geological framework used in some older accounts. A dinosaur's period and location should follow the best supported identification of its rock horizon, while avoiding a precise numerical age that the inspected research does not establish for that individual fossil. [D2]

PREHISTORIC ANIMAL DOSSIER

A life in profile.

The animal, the evidence, and the questions still open.

The skull resembles Shamosaurus closely, with a relatively long snout and granular surface armor. Similarity has prompted taxonomic debate rather than a settled merger. [D4]

Profile scope: G. domoculus, holotype IVPP V 12563; disputed Zhongyuansaurus referrals and proposed Shamosaurus overlap are treated separately. [D1] [D4]

Time
Early Cretaceous
Fossil locations in this exhibit
Inner Mongolia, China
How to read the evidence

Source supported identifies a description documented by the cited source. Inferred marks a reconstruction or functional estimate. Debated marks competing interpretations. Not established means the sources reviewed for this dossier do not support a firm conclusion; it does not mean a behavior never occurred.

A size reference is an estimate, not a population range. Nesting evidence does not by itself establish courtship, mate choice, or lifelong pairing.

Length

Inferred

Up to about 5 m; skull-based museum estimate

The museum extrapolates from skull size without disclosing method or maturity. No measured adult-individual comparison is used. [D3]

Body mass

Not established

Not established here

The type description focuses on a skull; postcranium was unavailable for study. No securely scoped mass model is established in these reviewed sources. [D1]

Diet

Inferred

Plant eater

Museum classification supports herbivory; gut contents and a genus-specific plant menu are not established here. [D3]

Time and habitat

Source supported

Lower Cretaceous Maortu, Inner Mongolia

Recent original research assigns the Maortu assemblage including Gobisaurus to Miaogou Formation; older Ulansuhai labels and numerical ages are not adopted uncritically. [D2]

Locomotion

Inferred

Probably quadrupedal

This follows ankylosaurid relationships. The original study could not examine postcranium, so stance and limb proportions are restored comparatively. [D1]

Distinctive anatomy

Source supported

Long-snouted skull with granular armor

The researcher contrasts this texture with later ankylosaurids’ distinct skull tiles. A complete type-associated tail club is not demonstrated here. [D4] [D1]

Reproduction & life together

Reproduction and nesting

Not established

Not established here

An incompletely mature Zhongyuansaurus skull was discussed in the synonym proposal; disputed referral cannot establish Gobisaurus breeding age or nesting. [D4]

Courtship and mating

Not established

Not established here

The type skull does not demonstrate sex differences, mate choice or courtship; a reconstructed tail is not behavioral evidence. [D1]

Social behavior

Not established

Not established here

Poorly documented type provenance and one described skull do not establish a herd, family group or conspecific aggregation. [D1]

Dossier research & sources

Sources and inspection notes for the claims in this profile.

  1. A new ankylosaurid (Dinosauria: Ankylosauria) from the Lower Cretaceous of China, with comments on ankylosaurian relationshipsCanadian Journal of Earth Sciences; Vickaryous, Russell, Currie and Zhao (2001) · Accessed 2026-10-02Original PDF abstract/type/anatomical excerpts inspected through indexed digitization; current mirror download failed. IVPP V12563 skull, unavailable postcranium and imperfect Maortu provenance. · Inspected: excerpt
  2. A new oviraptorosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Miaogou Formation of western Inner Mongolia, ChinaCretaceous Research; Hao and colleagues (online 2024; issue 2025) · Accessed 2026-10-02Indexed original abstract/introduction inspected: Maortu Gobisaurus included in revised Lower Cretaceous Miaogou setting. Full article inaccessible; no fine numerical age assigned. · Inspected: excerpt
  3. GobisaurusNatural History Museum, London · Accessed 2026-10-02Museum profile inspected: up to 5 m extrapolated from skull size, herbivory and China. Scaling method and type maturity unspecified. · Inspected: page
  4. Know Your Ankylosaurs: Mongolian Odds and Ends EditionVictoria Arbour, original researcher’s account (2015; updated 2016) · Accessed 2026-10-02Author’s account inspected: proposed Zhongyuansaurus equivalence and possible Gobisaurus/Shamosaurus merger; declines new combination. Inaccessible full systematic monograph is not claimed inspected. · Inspected: page
  5. The phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of the armoured dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Thyreophora)Journal of Systematic Palaeontology; Raven, Maidment and Barrett (2023), institutional accepted manuscript · Accessed 2026-10-02Original full manuscript inspected, especially pp 10/16–17: Gobisaurus/Shamosaurus and Zhongyuansaurus interpretations. Preferred analysis retains separate Gobisaurus/Shamosaurus OTUs. · Inspected: page
  6. 回顾2025年河南恐龙家族新成员 [Review of new members of Henan’s dinosaur family in 2025]Henan Geological Museum (23December 2025) · Accessed 2026-10-02Original museum report inspected:2025 Zhongyuansaurus junchangi paper retains that genus, type 41HIII 0708 from Haoling Formation. Original DOI 10.19800/j.cnki.aps.2024037 full text inaccessible; detailed diagnosis not claimed inspected. · Inspected: page

THE STORY IN THE FOSSILS

Meet Gobisaurus

Later systematic studies consider whether separately named Chinese ankylosaurs represent the same genus. Conflicting treatments require a clear boundary between the secure type and disputed referrals. [5]

Henan Geological Museum’s 2025 report announces a new species of Zhongyuansaurus, retaining that genus. This contrasts with the earlier synonym proposal and is not treated as another confirmed Gobisaurus species. [6]

A note on scale and time

The dossier identifies the scope of each reference estimate. A mount, an individual fossil and a species-wide adult range are different measurements. Comparison metrics remain unavailable where adult scope has not been established. Unknown does not mean zero.

Sources & editorial notes

Sources support the stated claims and scopes. Refer to the evidence notes for uncertainty.

  1. A new ankylosaurid (Dinosauria: Ankylosauria) from the Lower Cretaceous of China, with comments on ankylosaurian relationshipsCanadian Journal of Earth Sciences; Vickaryous, Russell, Currie and Zhao (2001) · Accessed 2026-10-02Original PDF abstract/type/anatomical excerpts inspected through indexed digitization; current mirror download failed. IVPP V12563 skull, unavailable postcranium and imperfect Maortu provenance. · Inspected: excerpt
  2. A new oviraptorosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Miaogou Formation of western Inner Mongolia, ChinaCretaceous Research; Hao and colleagues (online 2024; issue 2025) · Accessed 2026-10-02Indexed original abstract/introduction inspected: Maortu Gobisaurus included in revised Lower Cretaceous Miaogou setting. Full article inaccessible; no fine numerical age assigned. · Inspected: excerpt
  3. GobisaurusNatural History Museum, London · Accessed 2026-10-02Museum profile inspected: up to 5 m extrapolated from skull size, herbivory and China. Scaling method and type maturity unspecified. · Inspected: page
  4. Know Your Ankylosaurs: Mongolian Odds and Ends EditionVictoria Arbour, original researcher’s account (2015; updated 2016) · Accessed 2026-10-02Author’s account inspected: proposed Zhongyuansaurus equivalence and possible Gobisaurus/Shamosaurus merger; declines new combination. Inaccessible full systematic monograph is not claimed inspected. · Inspected: page
  5. The phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of the armoured dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Thyreophora)Journal of Systematic Palaeontology; Raven, Maidment and Barrett (2023), institutional accepted manuscript · Accessed 2026-10-02Original full manuscript inspected, especially pp 10/16–17: Gobisaurus/Shamosaurus and Zhongyuansaurus interpretations. Preferred analysis retains separate Gobisaurus/Shamosaurus OTUs. · Inspected: page
  6. 回顾2025年河南恐龙家族新成员 [Review of new members of Henan’s dinosaur family in 2025]Henan Geological Museum (23December 2025) · Accessed 2026-10-02Original museum report inspected:2025 Zhongyuansaurus junchangi paper retains that genus, type 41HIII 0708 from Haoling Formation. Original DOI 10.19800/j.cnki.aps.2024037 full text inaccessible; detailed diagnosis not claimed inspected. · Inspected: page

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