| Bellusaurus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Skull reconstruction | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Sauropoda |
| Clade: | †Eusauropoda |
| Genus: | †Bellusaurus Dong, 1990 |
| Species: | †B. sui |
| Binomial name | |
| †Bellusaurus sui Dong, 1990 | |
Bellusaurus (meaning "Beautiful lizard", fromVulgar Latinbellus 'beautiful' (masculine form) andAncient Greeksauros 'lizard') was asauropoddinosaur from theLate Jurassic (Oxfordian)[1] known from juvenile specimens that would have measured about 4.8 metres (16 ft) long. Its fossils were found inShishugou Formation rocks in the northeasternJunggar Basin inChina.
Thetype and only known species isBellusaurus sui, formally described byDong Zhiming in 1991. The remains ofBellusaurus were found in theShishugou Formation in the northeasternJunggar Basin inChina. Seventeen individuals were found in a single quarry, suggesting that a herd had been killed in a flash flood. Some features suggest they may have all been juveniles.[2]Bellusaurus sui was derived from the Latinbellus meaning small, delicate, and beautiful, as these sauropods were small and lightly built. The specific name,sui, was named in honor of Senior Preparator Youling Sui, a notable restorer of dinosaur remains.Bellusaurus was the last restoration undertaken by Mr. Sui.[2]
Bellusaurus sui is known from a large amount of disarticulated material of juvenile individuals.[1][3] These specimens may have been only around two years old, and still rapidly growing, when they died.[4]
The length ofBellusaurus has been estimated to be 4.8 metres (16 ft),[5] although this is based on juvenile individuals.
Bellusaurus was originally placed in theBrachiosauridae by Dong, based on a historical classification scheme in which Brachiosauridae was used as a catch-all for sauropods with broad teeth, including taxa such asCamarasaurus,Cetiosaurus, andEuhelopus, rather than implying a close relationship withBrachiosaurus in particular. Dong established a new subfamily, Bellusaurinae, forBellusaurus, and proposed thatPleurocoelus, another sauropod based on juvenile material, should also be classified in Bellusaurinae.[2] More recent phylogenetic analyses have recoveredBellusaurus outsideNeosauropoda or near the base ofMacronaria.[1] In 2023, a study proposed thatBellusaurus is a mamenchisaurid.[4]
