Isanosaurus was one of the first true sauropod dinosaur

Dinosaur

Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...

s, with all four legs always on the ground. It lived 210 million years ago in Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

. The type species

Type species

In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...

 is Isanosaurus attavipachi. It is known from a partial skeleton, including a neck vertebra, a back vertebra and part of another, six tail vertebra, two chevrons

Chevron (anatomy)

A chevron is one of a series of bones on the ventral side of the tail in many reptiles, dinosaurs , and some mammals such as kangaroos and manatees....

, fragmentary ribs, the right sternal plate

Sternum

The sternum or breastbone is a long flat bony plate shaped like a capital "T" located anteriorly to the heart in the center of the thorax...

, the right shoulder blade

Scapula

In anatomy, the scapula , omo, or shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus with the clavicle ....

, and the left thigh bone

Femur

The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...

. These remains came from a skeleton that had unfortunately been mostly eroded away. The bones belonged to an individual perhaps 6.5 metres (21.3 ft) long, that may not have been fully grown. They were found in dark red sandstone

Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...

 of the Nam Phong Formation

Nam Phong Formation

The Nam Phong Formation is the basal unit of the Khorat Group. It consists of resistant, red-brown micaceous sandstones, conglomerates, siltstone and mudstone of mainly fluvial origin. The sandstones are medium to very fine-grained and are usually calcareous. The conglomerates contain pebbles of...

 near the village of Ban Non Thaworn, in Chaiyaphum Province

Chaiyaphum Province

Chaiyaphum is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Lopburi and Phetchabun.- Etymology :...

.