It grew up to 8.3 metres (27 ft) in length and has a wide, triangular skull with a short and toothless snout.

It is known from a single species, Guanlingsaurus liangae, that was found in the Carnian-age Falang Formation of Guanling County, which is in the province of Guizhou.

However, the description of the juvenile specimen in 2013 revealed several features that make G. liangae distinct from Shastasaurus species, and the name was reinstated.

Both adult and juvenile specimens of Guanlingsaurus completely lack teeth and do not even possess a dental groove.

[5] However, Ji and colleagues did not find this feature, and found the hyoid bone much shorter than previous estimation, indicating that it was not suitable for suction feeding.