Cryolophosaurus

frozen crested lizard

• cryo · Greek · cold, frozen
• lophos · Greek · crest
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name combines Greek words for "cold", "crest" and "lizard", giving "frozen crested lizard". It refers to the discovery of the fossils in Antarctica and to the distinctive crest on top of the skull, which runs across the head like a pompadour. The dinosaur is nicknamed "Elvisaurus" because of that crest.

Named by

Hammer and Hickerson

Year named

1994

Period

Early Jurassic

Stages

Sinemurian – Pliensbachian

Found in

Hanson Formation, Mount Kirkpatrick, Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica

A large theropod, the first Antarctic theropod to be named. The exact age within the Early Jurassic (Sinemurian–Pliensbachian) is uncertain. The type species is Cryolophosaurus ellioti, named after Dave Elliot, who found the site.