Datousaurus

Neck and skull, skeletal reconstruction of Dotousaurus, at the Shanghai Science & Technology Museum

• Lower Shaximiao lineup, Sichuan (China)

Datousaurus ( "lizard with a large head " ) was a sauropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic ( Bathonian to Callovian ). Its composed of two partially preserved skeletons and the jawbone fossil remains were discovered in the lower Shaximiao Formation in Sichuan (China) and named by the paleontologist Dong and Tang 1984. The only way is Datousaurus bashanensis. In 2000, some more jaw parts were additionally described.

Description

Datousaurus was never described by derived ( apomorphic ) characteristics, but limited only by the documents found in the vicinity and also derived from the Jurassic Omeisaurus and Shunosaurus. In contrast to the former, he has only 13 cervical and four sacral vertebrae. The cervical vertebrae have well-developed Pleurocoele ( excavations at the front). From Shunosaurus it differs by the smaller number of teeth, which are provided at Datousaurus with strong, spade -shaped crowns.

System

Datousaurus regarded as primitive sauropod and is systematically at the base of Sauropodenstammbaums to be without a family assigned.