What is gasosaurus?

Gasosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 140 million years ago during the Jurassic Period. It was a small to medium-sized carnivorous dinosaur, measuring around 5 to 6 meters (16 to 20 feet) in length and weighing about 200 to 400 kilograms (440 to 880 pounds).

Gasosaurus had a slender body, long tail, and sharp teeth for capturing and eating small prey. It likely hunted small animals like lizards, mammals, and other dinosaurs. Gasosaurus had strong hind limbs with sharp claws, which it used to catch and kill its prey.

Fossils of Gasosaurus have been found in China, specifically in the Dashanpu Formation in Sichuan Province. The genus was first described in 1985 by Chinese paleontologist Dong Zhiming. Gasosaurus is considered to be a basal theropod dinosaur, meaning it is an early member of the group that includes later, more advanced carnivorous dinosaurs like Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus.