Datousaurus bashanensis - Jurassic Dinosaurs
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(dah-toe-sor-uhss)
"chieftain lizard"
Describer Dong & Tang, 1984
Also Known As --
Type of Species
Order Saurischia
SubOrder Sauropodomorpha
InfraOrder Sauropoda
Micro-Order --
Family
Size 50 feet (15.2 meters) long
Period Middle Jurassic, 170 million years ago
Fossilsite China
Diet Herbivore
Datousaurus
was a herbivore dinosaur that lived during the Middle Jurassic Period
170 million years ago, in what is now China. Its skull was deep and heavy
in comparison to other sauropod heads, with nostril openings in the front
rather than on top. So far only two partial skeletons of Datousaurus have
been discovered. The rarity of its fossils suggest that it may not have
herding animal like other sauropods, which are often preserved in vast
numbers in a localized area.
Research suggest that Datousaurus and Shunosaurus are closely related anatomically. Some of the differences are that Datousaurus had elongated vertebrae which gave it a higher reach and its teeth were shaped more like a spoon. Datosaurus limbs were heavy. Some scientists question if the head and body, which were found separately, are actually from the same dinosaur. Datousaurus was named by Dong Zhiming and Tang in 1984.
