Gasosaurus

Gasosaurus was a carnivorous dinosaur discovered in Sichuan, China, during the excavation of a natural gas facility in the mid-1980s. Dating to the Middle Jurassic epoch, around 165 million years ago, it was a basal tetanuran of modest proportions. Adults are estimated to have reached three and a half to four metres in length, weighing several hundred kilograms. Although preserved without a skull, its known remains include limb bones, pelvic material, and vertebrae. These show strong legs built for running and supporting an active predatory lifestyle. Gasosaurus roamed lush lake basins alongside sauropods such as Shunosaurus and early stegosaurs like Huayangosaurus. While larger carnivores like Chuandongocoelurus were present, Gasosaurus was an effective medium predator capable of tackling smaller dinosaurs and young plant-eaters across the forested Jurassic terrain.

It was named in honour of a petroleum company whose construction workers accidentally uncovered the fossil site.

Where and when

Gasosaurus lived in the Middle Jurassic, from 168 to 163 million years ago (Bathonian-Callovian age). Its remains come from China, in the Lower Shaximiao Formation.

The numbers

Length 3.8 m (estimates run from 3.5 to 4 m). Mass about 240 kg. Hip height about 1.3 m. That is 2.2 human-lengths, or 0.34 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from partial skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, first ma, last ma, hip height.

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