Acrocanthosaurus

high-spined lizard

• akros · Greek · high, topmost
• akantha · Greek · thorn, spine
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name combines Greek words for "high", "spine" and "lizard", referring to the unusually tall neural spines on the vertebrae of its neck, back and hip region. These spines probably supported a ridge or hump of muscle along the animal's back. The name was chosen to highlight this feature, and it does not mean "high-spined" in the sense of a sail like Spinosaurus.

Named by

Stovall and Langston

Year named

1950

Period

Early Cretaceous

Stages

Aptian – Albian

Found in

Antlers Formation (Oklahoma), Trinity Group and related formations in Texas, Oklahoma, Maryland and elsewhere in the southern USA

A large carcharodontosaurid theropod and a valid genus. The type species is Acrocanthosaurus atokensis, named for Atoka County, Oklahoma.