Crichtonsaurus

Crichton's lizard

• Crichton · English (proper noun) · honouring author Michael Crichton
• saurus · Greek · lizard

The name honours Michael Crichton (1942–2008), the American novelist and filmmaker best known for writing Jurassic Park, which brought widespread popular attention to dinosaurs. The second element, '-saurus', comes from the Greek word 'sauros' meaning 'lizard', and is a standard suffix used in dinosaur genus names. The genus was named in Crichton's honour as a tribute to his role in popularising palaeontology with the general public.

Named by

Dong

Year named

2002

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Cenomanian

Found in

Sunjiawan Formation, Liaoning Province, China

An ankylosaur (nodosaurid or ankylosaurid) from China. The type species is C. bohlini. The genus has been considered a nomen dubium by some researchers because the diagnostic features of the original material are poorly established, and a second referred species, C. chowi, has been reassigned to a separate genus, Crichtonpelta, further complicating the status of Crichtonsaurus. Named in honour of Michael Crichton of Jurassic Park fame.