Dino of the Week: Bellusaurus

Type Species: Bellusaurus sui

Classification: Dinosauria – Saurischia – Sauropoda - Gravisauria - Eusauropoda - Neosauropoda - Macronaria

Time Period: Middle Jurassic

Location: China

Diet: Herbivore

Bellusaurus’ name is derived from the Latin bellus, meaning ‘small, delicate, beautiful.’ Seventeen individuals of this sauropod were found in a single quarry, suggesting that the herd had been killed in a flash flood. While this is tragic in its own right, the tragedy is compounded by the fact that they all appear to be juveniles. They measured only sixteen feet long, and bone studies indicate that they weren’t fully grown. One must wonder where the adults were when tragedy struck. Because there were no such things as ‘sauropod day cares’ (at least according to our understanding of sauropod social behavior), we must assume that the juveniles traveled with a much larger herd. One explanation is that when the flood hit, the larger adults were able to ‘weather the storm,’ but the lighter and smaller juveniles were swept away underfoot, only to be deposited miles away in a jumbled, rotting mess. A tragedy indeed.