In Depth
At fifteen meters long it could be said that Datousaurus was a lower average in terms of sauropod sizes of the Jurassic era. The skull of Datousaurus is noted as being deep with ‘spoon-shaped’ teeth for processing plants. Datousaurus is also noted for having a higher reach than some other sauropods that lived around the same time and location as it did.
As a member of the Mamenchisauridae, Datousaurus was of course related to the type genus of this group, Mamenchisaurus, which is also known from the same fossil bearing formation as Datousaurus. Other sauropods from the Dashanpu formation include Omeisaurus, Shunosaurus and Dashanpusaurus. Possible predators of Datousaurus, particularly of smaller juveniles could include the theropod dinosaurs Yangchuanosaurus, Kaijiangosaurus and Xuanhanosaurus, all of which are known from the Lower Shaximiao of the Dashanpu Formation.
Further Reading
- Note on a new Mid-Jurassic sauropod (Datousaurus bashanensis gen. et sp. nov.) from Sichuan Basin, Z. Dong & Z. Tang - 1984.
