Datousaurus, meaning either "Chieftain lizard" or "Big-head Lizard" (from the Malay datou "chieftain" or Chinese da tou "Big Head" and Greek saurus/σαυρος "lizard") was a dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic. It was a sauropod collected from the Lower Shaximiao Formation in Dashanpu, Zigong Sichuan province, China. It shared the local Middle Jurassic landscape with other sauropods Shunosaurus, Omeisaurus and Protognathus, the ornithopod Xiaosaurus and the early Stegosaur Huayangosaurus as well as the carnivorous Gasosaurus.

Discovery and species

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Datousaurus was named by Dong Zhiming and Tang in 1984.

Datousaurus species

• D. bashanensis

Paleobiology

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Datousaurus was about 15 metres long and herbivorous. It had a deep large skull for a sauropod.

References

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• Creisler B, 'Chinese Dinosaurs:Naming The Dragons' The Dinosaur Report, Fall 1994, pp16-17

External Links

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• http://dinosauricon.com/genera/datousaurus.html
• http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/content/science/dinosaurs/dino_card/199.html

Jurassic dinosaurs | Sauropods | Asian dinosaurs