Bellusaurus
Bellusaurus Temporal range: Middle Jurassic, 170Ma | |
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Restored skeleton | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Superorder: | Dinosauria |
Order: | Saurischia |
Suborder: | Sauropodomorpha |
Infraorder: | Sauropoda |
Family: | Camarasauridae |
Genus: | Bellusaurus Chao, 1987 |
Bellusaurus (meaning "Beautiful lizard", from Vulgar Latin bellus 'beautiful' (masculine form) and Ancient Greek sauros 'lizard') was a small short-necked sauropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic which measured about 4.8 metres (16 ft) long. Its fossils were found in Shishugou Formation rocks in the northeastern Junggar Basin in China.
Discovery and species
The type (and only known) species is Bellusaurus sui, formally described by Chao in 1987. Seventeen individuals were found in a single quarry, suggesting that a herd had been killed in a flash flood. Some features suggest they may have all been juveniles.
References
- Dong Zhiming (1992). Dinosaurian Faunas of China. China Ocean Press, Beijing. ISBN 3-540-52084-8.
External links
- Bellusaurus in the Dino Directory