Angloposeidon

English Poseidon (English sea god / lord)

• Anglo · Latin · English / of England
• Poseidon · Greek · god of the sea (used here to evoke a giant)

The name combines the Latin prefix "Anglo-" (meaning English or of England) with "Poseidon," the Greek god of the sea. It was chosen to reflect both the English origin of the fossil material and the enormous, awe-inspiring size implied for the animal — evoking the power of a deity. The "-poseidon" suffix had previously been used in sauropod names (e.g. Brachiosaurus relative Sauroposeidon) to suggest colossal scale. Together, the name roughly means "the English Poseidon" or "English sea-lord."

Named by

Naish, Martill, Cooper and Stevens

Year named

2004

Period

Early Cretaceous

Stage

Barremian

Found in

Wessex Formation, Isle of Wight, England, UK

Angloposeidon is a large sauropod dinosaur (likely a somphospondylan or brachiosaurid) known only from a partial cervical (neck) vertebra, making assessment of its relationships and validity very difficult. It is widely considered a nomen dubium because the single, fragmentary specimen is insufficient to diagnose a distinct genus. It was informally discussed for years before its formal 2004 description. At the time of its description it was potentially one of the largest dinosaurs known from the UK.