Datousaurus

†Datousaurus ('big-head lizard') is an extinct sauropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic Dashanpu Formation of Sichuan, China. Its notably large, heavy skull — unusual among sauropods — and robust body suggest a specialized low-browsing herbivore. Datousaurus is among the earliest large sauropods known from Asia and the Dashanpu quarry assemblage.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Datousaurus was a plant-eating dinosaur. Herbivores typically fed on ferns, cycads, conifers, and other vegetation available during their era. Many herbivorous dinosaurs developed specialized teeth and digestive systems for processing tough plant material.

Time Period

Jurassic Middle Mesozoic Era

Datousaurus lived during the Jurassic Middle period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 174,7 to 161,5 million years ago.

Dinosaur diversity continued to increase, with the evolution of large sauropods and diverse theropods. Stegosaurs first appeared, and the supercontinent Pangaea was breaking apart.