Name:
Shenzhousaurus (Greek for "Shenzhou lizard"); pronounced SHEN-zhoo-SORE-us
Habitat:
Plains of China
Historical Period:
Early Cretaceous (140 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 5 feet long and 50 pounds
Diet:
Probably omnivorous
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Small size; narrow snout with few teeth
About Shenzhousaurus:
Known from only a single fossil--in which the unfortunate individual has been caught in a painful-looking "death pose"--Shenzhousaurus is one of the smallest and earliest of all the ornithomimid ("bird-mimic") dinosaurs. The small number of teeth in its narrow skull, as well as the gastroliths preserved in its stomach, indicate that Shenzhousaurus was probably omnivorous, feeding opportunistically on meat, plants and even insects.
