Bellusaurus
| Bellusaurus Temporal range: Middle Jurassic, 170 Ma | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Restored skeleton | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Neosauropoda |
| Clade: | †Macronaria |
| Genus: | †Bellusaurus Dong, 1990 |
| Species: | † B. sui |
| Binomial name | |
| Bellusaurus sui Dong, 1990 | |
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.
An artist's depiction of Bellusaurus.
Discovery and species
The type (and only known) species is Bellusaurus sui, formally described by Dong Zhiming in 1990. 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.[1]
References
- ↑ Dong, Z. M., 1990, On remains of the Sauropods from Kelamaili region, Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, China: Vertebrata PalAsiatica, v. 28, n. 1, p. 43-58.
- Dong Zhiming (1992). Dinosaurian Faunas of China. China Ocean Press, Beijing. ISBN 3-540-52084-8.
External links
- Bellusaurus in the Dino Directory
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