Dynamosaurus
die-NAM-oh-SORE-us /daɪˌnæməˈsɔːrəs/
Synonym of Tyrannosaurus
powerful lizard
- dynamis · Greek · power, force
- sauros · Greek · lizard
The name combines the Greek words for "power" and "lizard", so it means "powerful lizard". It was given to a huge predatory dinosaur skeleton that was found in Wyoming. The type species was Dynamosaurus imperiosus, with "imperiosus" being Latin for "imperious" or "commanding". The name was published in the same 1905 paper that named Tyrannosaurus. Dynamosaurus was later recognised as the same animal as Tyrannosaurus.
- Named by
- Osborn
- Year named
- 1905
- Period
- Late Cretaceous
- Stage
- Maastrichtian
- Found in
- Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA
Dynamosaurus imperiosus is a junior synonym of Tyrannosaurus rex. Osborn named both names in 1905, and Tyrannosaurus has page priority, so it is the valid name.