Daspletosaurus
dass-PLEE-toh-SORE-us /dæsˌpliːtəˈsɔːrəs/
Accepted genus
frightful lizard
- dasplētos (δασπλῆτος) · Greek · frightful, terrible
- sauros (σαῦρος) · Greek · lizard
The name combines the Greek "dasplētos", meaning frightful or terrible, with "sauros", meaning lizard. Dale Russell chose it in 1970 for a large tyrannosaurid from Alberta, Canada, to convey its fearsome appearance as a big predator. The type species is Daspletosaurus torosus.
- Named by
- Russell
- Year named
- 1970
- Period
- Late Cretaceous
- Stage
- Campanian
- Found in
- Oldman and Two Medicine formations, Alberta (Canada) and Montana (USA)
A tyrannosaurine tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur. The type species, D. torosus, comes from Alberta's Oldman Formation. Other specimens from Montana's Two Medicine Formation have been referred to the genus, and some of these may represent a separate species.