Paleontologists at the University of Alberta have discovered a new species of a long-necked dinosaur called "Qijianglong" based on a skeleton found in China.

The new dinosaur species has one of the longest necks relative to total body size that has ever been found, said Professor Philip Currie of University of Alberta.

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A construction team working in the Qijiang District in central China spotted the fossils in 2006. They found Qijianglong's fossil head with its neck still intact.

Research revealed Qijianglong was 50 feet in length and lived near Qijiang City in China about 160 million years ago. Its neck is described as unique to its dinosaur group called mamenchisaurids.

The neck is more than one-half the animal's length. It contained air pockets that made it lighter so muscles could support the large and weighty neck.

The study also suggests the dinosaur's vertebrae were different from any other species of mamenchisaurid and added support to the long neck.

Currie said this type of dinosaur is unique to Asia and there are still no samples of mamenchisaurids discovered in any other country. The researchers concluded that a land barrier or a body of water blocked the dinosaur from moving to other countries.

Its name Qijanglong means "dragon of Qijiang." Researchers suggest identical fossils may have been the origin of dragon legends in China.

"China is home to the ancient myths of dragons. I wonder if the ancient Chinese stumbled upon a skeleton of a long-necked dinosaur like Qijanglong and pictured that mythical creature," said Tetsuto Miyashita, one of the authors on the study.

Paleontologists said Qijanglong's discovery is an important evolutionary chapter in the history of sauropods because it shows the extensive diversification among these beasts in Asia didn't occur elsewhere.

News of the new discovery appeared in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Tagsnew species dinosaur, long-necked dinosaur, mamenchisaurids, Dinosaur era, dragons, ancient myths of dragons