Anchisaurus

near lizard

• anchi · Greek · near, close
• sauros · Greek · lizard

Anchisaurus means "near lizard" from the Greek words for "near" and "lizard". Othniel Charles Marsh chose the name in 1885 (replacing his earlier name Amphisaurus, which was already taken) apparently because he thought it was close to the reptiles now known as Hypsilophodon-like or related forms, or, in the common account, close to the Teratosaurus/Zanclodon group. It is an early sauropodomorph from the Early Jurassic of the Connecticut Valley.

Named by

Marsh

Year named

1885

Period

Early Jurassic

Stages

Sinemurian – Pliensbachian

Found in

Portland Formation, Connecticut and Massachusetts, USA

Marsh's original name Amphisaurus (1882) was preoccupied, so he replaced it with Anchisaurus. The type species is A. polyzelus. A basal sauropodomorph (not a true sauropod). The exact rationale for the name and the stage range are not firmly established in my sources, so treat those details with some caution.