Fossilized remains of a previously unknown herbivorous dinosaur have been discovered in southwest China. This species, named Archaeocursor asiaticus, represents the earliest divergent ornithischian found in Asia, having migrated from another hemisphere.
The well-preserved left femur of Archaeocursor asiaticus was located near the central park of Chongqing. The dinosaur, which lived during the Early Jurassic period approximately 193 million years ago, measured about one meter in length and belonged to the group of herbivorous dinosaurs known as Ornithischia, which became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period.
This new species resembles Eocursor parvus, commonly found in Gondwana. Meanwhile, during the Early Jurassic (201-175 million years ago), the primary inhabitants of Laurasia were ankylosaurs, a group of armored dinosaurs within the ornithischian clade. The discovery in China suggests that Eocursor species may have migrated from Gondwana to Laurasia even before the arrival of armored dinosaurs.