In Depth
Zuolong was a relatively small Jurassic aged theropod that has been classed within the Coelurosauria. Due to its small size it was probably a predator of small vertebrates such as lizard, primitive mammals to even smaller dinosaurs. Zuolong however may have been potential prey for even larger theropods that are also known from the Shishugou Formation such as Monolophosaurus and Sinraptor.
The genus name is in honour of General Zuo Zongtang (also known as General Tso), who in the nineteenth century secured Xinjiang for China. The species name is in honour of Hilmar Sallee who bequeathed money for the expedition in their will.
Further Reading
– A basal coelurosaur (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Late Jurassic (Oxfordian) of the Shishugou Formation in Wucaiwan, People’s Republic of China – ournal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30 (6): 1773–1796. – Jonah N. Choiniere, James M. Clark, Catherine A. Forster and Xing Xu – 2010.
