Abrosaurus
Abrosaurus (/ˌæbroʊˈsɔːrəs/; 'delicate lizard' from the Greek αβρος meaning 'delicate' or 'dainty' and σαυρος meaning 'lizard') is a genus of macronarian sauropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic Period of what is now Asia, one of many dinosaurs found at the Dashanpu Quarry in the Sichuan Province of China. Like most sauropods, Abrosaurus was a quadrupedal herbivore but it was rather small for a sauropod, not much more than 30 feet (9.1 m) long. Its head was boxy and topped with a tall bony arch containing the nostrils.
| Abrosaurus Temporal range: Middle Jurassic | |
|---|---|
| Illustration of the skull showing known remains in gray. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Sauropoda |
| Clade: | †Macronaria |
| Genus: | †Abrosaurus Ouyang, 1989 |
| Type species | |
| †Abrosaurus dongpoi Ouyang, 1989 | |
The generic name (meaning "delicate lizard") refers to the nature of the skull, with large openings separated by thin bony struts. The only named species is A. dongpoi, is named after eleventh-century Chinese poet Su Shi, also known as Su Dongpo, who was born in Sichuan.