Dacentrurus

very pointed tail (spiked tail)

• da- · Greek · very, intensifying prefix
• kentron · Greek · spike, point
• oura · Greek · tail

Dacentrurus combines the Greek intensifying prefix da- with kentron ("spike") and oura ("tail"), giving roughly "very pointed tail". It refers to the spikes on the tail of this stegosaur. Lucas coined the name in 1902 as a replacement for Omosaurus, which was already used for a different animal.

Named by

Lucas

Year named

1902

Period

Late Jurassic

Stages

Kimmeridgian – Tithonian

Found in

Kimmeridge Clay Formation, England; other remains in France, Portugal and Spain

A stegosaurid. It was named as a replacement name for Omosaurus Owen, 1875, which was preoccupied by Omosaurus Leidy, 1856 (a phytosaur). The type species is Dacentrurus armatus. The exact stage range and the assignment of some material outside England are debated.