Gasosaurus

Name:

Gasosaurus (Greek for "gas lizard"); pronounced gas-oh-SORE-us

Habitat:

Woodlands of China

Historical Period:

Late Jurassic (160 million years ago)

Size and Weight:

About 13 feet long and 300 pounds

Diet:

Meat

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Large head; powerful legs; stiff tail

About Gasosaurus:

The only remains of this obscure but amusingly named dinosaur were discovered in 1985 by the employees of a Chinese gas-mining company. From the limited number of fossils, paleontologists believe that Gasosaurus resembled a vastly scaled-down T. Rex, though its arms were a bit longer compared to its overall size.

Because so few fossils of Gasosaurus have been found, it's possible that this dinosaur may have been misclassified--and is in fact a Megalosaurus or Kaijiangosaurus. Only future discoveries can settle this issue for sure.