Coelosaurus

hollow lizard

• koilos · Greek · hollow
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name Coelosaurus combines the Greek words "koilos" (hollow) and "sauros" (lizard), meaning "hollow lizard." It was given this name in reference to the hollow limb bones of the animal, a feature that was notable at the time of its description. Such hollow bones are now understood to be a common characteristic of theropod dinosaurs and are associated with weight reduction and, in birds, air-sac systems.

Named by

Owen

Year named

1854

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Campanian

Found in

New Jersey, USA

Coelosaurus is considered a nomen dubium. It was named by Richard Owen in 1854 based on fragmentary material (isolated limb bones) from the Navesink or Hornerstown Formation of New Jersey. The material is too incomplete to reliably diagnose a distinct genus, and it has historically been associated with ornithomimosaur-grade theropods. It should not be confused with Coelurus or other similarly named genera.